Nina Stemme: Wagner - Der Fliegende Holländer, ’Senta’s Ballade’

Nina Stemme (born May 11, 1963 in Stockholm) is an opera singer known for her warm, solid spinto soprano voice, with some qualities of a dramatic soprano. She sang in two singing competitions, Operalia, The World Opera Competition and Cardiff Singer of the World. As winner of Operalia in 1993, Stemme was invited by Placido Domingo, founder of Operalia, to appear with him in a concert at La Bastille (1993); the same concert also took place on January 1, 1994, in Munich. Since her operatic debut as Cherubino in Cortona, Italy, Stemme has appeared with many opera companies, including the Royal Swedish Opera Stockholm, the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Geneva, Zürich, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera New York, and San Francisco Opera, as well as at the Bayreuth, Salzburg, Savonlinna, Glyndebourne and Bregenz festivals. Her roles include Rosalinde, Mimi in La bohème, Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly, Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Suor Angelica, Euridice, Katerina in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Marguerite, Agathe, Marie, Nyssia (König Kandaules), Jenůfa, Marschallin, Eva, Elisabeth, Elsa, Senta, Sieglinde, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and Isolde. This last brought her critical acclaim at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2003, on disc for EMI Classics with Plácido Domingo, Antonio Pappano and the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden released in 2005 and most recently at the Bayreuth Festival in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007 Stemme returned in the role of Isolde to Glyndebourne Festival Opera where she first made her debut in the role... Lyrics & English Translation Yohohoway! Yoho! Yoho! Did you ever encounter that ship in the sea, with Blood-Red sails and a black mast? On her high Bridge, the pale man, the ship’s master, watches Without rest! Hoy! How the wind howls! Yohoway! Hoy! How it whistles in the rigging! Yohoway! Hoy! Like an arrow he flies on, without aim, Without rest, without peace! Yet, redemption can still be found for that pale Man one day, should he ever find a woman who Will remain faithful to him until death on this Earth! Ah! When will you find her, pale seaman? Pray to heaven that soon a woman will keep faith With him! In a violent storm, in raging winds, he once sought To round a cape; He cursed and swore in a mad fit Saying “In all eternity, I’ll not give up!“ Hoy! And Satan heard it! Yohoway! Hoy! Took him at his word! Yohoway! Hoy! Now damned, he roams throughout the seas, Without rest and without peace! Yet, so that the poor man should still be able to Find redemption on this earth, the angel of God Showed him the path to salvation! Ah! If only you Could find it, pale seaman! Every seven years, he sets anchor and goes on shore To woo a woman. He has wooed every seven years, But has not ever found a faithful woman. Hoy! “Hoist the anchor!“ Yohoway! Hoy! “Raise the sails Yohoway! Hoy! “False love, false faithfulness! Off to sea, Without rest, without peace!“ A link to this wonderful artists personal website: Please Enjoy! I send my kind and warm regards,