Wagner Notes

Wagner would have the world believe that his particular art sprang solely from his own creative soul, but as usual he bent facts to fit his personal mythology. Like all artists, he drew inspiration from his creative forefathers, who in the period between Mozart and the mid-nineteenth century transformed opera dramatically, musically, and materially. In his latest recital disc, the American baritenor Michael Spyres traces some of the Bayreuth bard’s antecedents that reflect his own performing history as he embarks on the Wagnerian repertoire.

Spyres originally began performing as a baritone, gradually figuring out how to develop his upper range after a teacher suggested that he was probably a tenor. He moved to Europe at the age of 23 and joined the Arnold Schoenberg Choir while essentially teaching himself how to sing. Rossini became a mainstay of his repertoire: he made his 2009 La Scala debut in Il viaggio a Rheims and became a regular at Rossini festivals in Pesaro and Wildbad. His 2009 engagement as Raoul in Les Huguenots at the Bard Festival introduced him to enthusiastic East Coast audiences. Subsequent appearances at the Caramoor Festival in Ciro in Babilonia and Guillaume Tell cemented his U.S. reputation as an exciting Rossini tenor, as did his “Amici e Rivali” disc and tour with Lawrence Brownlee, where the two tenors thrilled audiences with their tag-teamed high Cs. Spyres’ darker baritonal sound set him apart from his friendly rival’s brighter timbre. Meanwhile, his high notes and dazzling coloratura have led him to the historical tenor repertoire of many lesser known composers that seemed to fit his voice.

In the Shadows, released in March, is Spyres’ third chronological survey recital focused on vocal techniques and qualities based on historical models and repertoire. After “Baritenor,” released in 2021, with its mix of baritone and tenor arias, 2022’s Contra-Tenor showcased virtuoso arias from the baroque era, written for tenors who had to compete with the superstar operatic castrati of the eighteenth century. In the liner notes, Spyres states, “…the repertoire that has moved and challenged me most has been music that inspired young Wagner himself…Auber, Bellini, Berlioz, Halévy, Méhul, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Weber.” The program is arranged chronologically: twelve operatic excerpts by ten composers, written between 1807 to 1848, in French, German, or Italian. Many follow the format of instrumental introduction, accompanied recitative, slow air, followed by a bravura fast section, but the heroic singer begins to go beyond symmetrical forms. Some are drawn from roles in Spyres’ eclectic stage repertoire; others add to our understanding of how opera evolved between Gluck and Wagner. The disc ends with a taste of early Wagner: selections from Die Feen, Rienzi, and finally, “Mein lieber Schwan.”

French grand opera has offered a route for his artistic development, and French stages have welcomed him in native repertoire and welcomed his first steps toward the world of Wagner. In 2019 he sang in Vincent d’Indy’s Fervaal in Montpelier, a role that he compared to singing Tristan twice over. In 2021 he sang in a concert performance of Act II of Tristan und Isolde at Lyon; a year later he undertook a staged production of the entire work, receiving praise for his passionate and “lyrical” performance of the title role. Spring 2024 unveiled his first Lohengrin in Strasbourg, as well as the Wesendonck Lieder. His Bayreuth debut as Siegmund in Die Walkure was considered a highlight of the Festival. [The Nov. issue will include a review of this 2024 Bayreuth Ring.]

Spyres’ 2024-25 season offers a wide-ranging array of challenges. He will perform Pfitzner (Palestrina) and Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos) in Vienna, Verdi (Trovatore) in Houston, and both staged and in-concert Handel all over the map. He returns to the Green Hill next summer as Walter von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger.

© Wagner Notes, Sept. 2024, a publication of the Wagner Society of New York. All rights reserved.