By: Gudrun

Gudrun — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 18:07:33 +0000

I couldn’t agree more, Sue. For me, it was an extra treat to listen to Simon speak my mother tongue, which he does really well, despite all his protestations: “Ich bin so dumm in Deutsch!” (I’m so stupid in German.) No, that’s definitely not true.
Director Meyer and Simon seem to be on very friendly terms, both using the informal German “du” to address each other. This also contributed to a really relaxed atmosphere.
Some moments/ comments that have stuck in my mind:
– Simon has become a singer because: “Life is so difficult, so chaotic. Music is the only logic, the only place where it makes sense.”
– He illustrated the different ways of Muti and Abbado (two of his favourite conductors) to make a singer or musician do what the conductor wants – with the help of a saucer and an (imaginary) glass ball:
Muti: puts the tip of his forefinger on the glass ball to keep it in the middle of the saucer.
Abbado: moves and balances the saucer until the ball stays in the middle.
– The Wiener Staatsoper is planning “Winterreise” with Simon and Thomas Ades at the piano! And Mr Meyer mentioned that he is going to put on “The Tempest” again. So maybe we can see Simon as Prospero in Vienna.

By: Sue

Sue — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 14:17:41 +0000

Such a pleasure and a luxury to spend an hour in Simon’s witty company.
Despite not liking Golaud as a character, surely no one creates him as a human being more expressively and movingly than Simon.

Comments on: 2017.17.10 Interview with Dominique Meyer at the Vienna State Opera

By: Gudrun

By: Sue