The return of maestro Julius Rudel to conduct Washington National Opera’s production of George Bizet’s “Carmen” is a season highlight. One of the world’s most prolific artists, Rudel boasts a repertoire of more than 100 operas matched only by his symphonic and choral repertoire. Now 87 years of age, he is sought out by major orchestras and opera houses of North America and Europe for his expertise, vast knowledge and remarkable rapport with singers.
His WNO connection harks back to his 35 years with the New York City Opera where he nurtured the careers of Beverly Sills, tenor José Carreras and a young Plácido Domingo, now the WNO music director. Although this is the first time he conducts mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in her signature role, the two have worked together often.
He attributes his affinity for singers to Vienna where he and childhood friends stood for hours to get standing room tickets. They became such familiar attendees that the claque paid them to cheer for selected singers. His sharp ears caught the nuances that separated good singers from outstanding ones.
“When we began working together at City Opera, Beverly Sills was a good singer,” he says. “After I became involved in her development, we would sit at the piano and try things. She developed into a remarkable singer.”
Rudel’s childhood ended dramatically at age 17 when the Nazis arrived in Vienna. His mother urged him escape from Austria to Switzerland by train and sail for New York on the Queen Mary. Until his mother and brother arrived several months later, he stayed with relatives and dreamed about a career in music. A scholarship to Mannes College of Music set the dream in motion.
Shortly after graduating, he received an appointment with New York City Opera. His legendary premieres there include Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars” and the first production of “Porgy and Bess” in an opera house. Rudel’s affection for Weill’s music is represented in five recordings of the composer’s varied works, among them the opera “Silver Lake” for which he received a Grammy nomination.
“Kurt Weill combines acerbic qualities and the sarcastic post-war attitudes,” Rudel says. “When he came to the U.S., he adapted himself and his music to our ways. I conducted his world premiere’s because they represented a lack that had to be attended to in music and all the performing arts.”
Rudel’s voluminous accomplishments include his 1969 appointment by Jacqueline Kennedy as the first Kennedy Center Music Director. In that role he commissioned Bernstein’s “Mass” and began the Mahler Cycle with the NSO. At the same time, he was named music director of Wolf Trap. His Metropolitan Opera debut in 1978 opened a floodgate of debuts worldwide with major opera companies belatedly discovering the genius that was spawned in his beloved Vienna.
“‘Carmen’ has great contrasts in music,” he says. “It ranges from a large, joyous crowd to intimate moments. I want the audience to sit back, open their ears and hear the beauty of the music.”
If you go
Julius Rudel conducts the Washington National Opera in George Bizet’s “Carmen” in French, November 8-19.
Venue: Kennedy Center Opera House
Tickets: $25 to $300
More info: 202-295-2400; 800-876-7372; dc-opera.org; kennedy-center.org
