An article from one of Germany’s largest newspapers
 
THE CHAMBER OPERA OF MEMPHIS

Die Welt am Sonntag, March 9, 2008, Arts section

This is the story of one who left Germany, and now ventures to bring the concepts of contemporary Music Theater to Americans: Michael Leinert, from 1999 – 2006 Chefdramaturg and Stage Director at the Deutsche Opera am Rhein (Opera Company for the neighboring cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg) founded the Chamber Opera of Memphis in his current home of choice, Tennessee.

With his wife, Susan Owen-Leinert, soprano and professor of voice, he provides a sort of Cultural Development along the Mississippi. "I feel a bit like a missionary", he says," no one remembers exactly what exciting pieces were composed in the 70’s and 80’s." In his opinion, The Medium by Peter Maxwell Davies, belongs to this category. "We searched for something that would shake up the people of Memphis a bit; this composition is crazy, but logical."

With this demanding 50-minute solo for one singer, the Leinerts returned to Düsseldorf with one performance. Here, at the Rheinoper, Susan Owen was previously heard as a guest artist in the roles of Isolde and Senta.

For Michael Leinert, the return to Düsseldorf is lovely and relaxed, pleasantly thinking back on the productive years. However, his setting-out for new horizons was extremely animated. "We are carrying the European musical culture to the American South and are met with generous curiosity."

Memphis, the city of Blues, knows no musical boundaries. "The people are open, tolerant and without this cultural arrogance that one finds here in Europe, especially from the critics." Susan Owen-Leinert and Michael Leinert founded recently a summer academy which encourages young American artists. Included in all this is a lively exchange with the Nordrhein Westfalen region. Pianist Dirk Wedmann, from the Folkwangschule, Essen was a recent guest artist to Memphis. Michael Leinert: "We want to utilize the high quality of artists in NRW for our projects."                                                                                                   Written by Regina Goldlücke

Excerpts translated into English:

[…] The engrossing concentration in the audience spoke for itself.

The Chamber Opera of Memphis, founded by Michael Leinert and his wife, Susan Owen-Leinert, once celebrated on all great opera stages as a "Hochdramatische" , has taken on the challenge to present this special art form to a curious audience and not remain tied to the traditional opera repertoire.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ monodrama "The Medium", not to be confused with the opera of the same name by Gian Carlo Menotti, which is in comparison harmless, almost seems to be written for Susan Owen-Leinert. It is really breath taking how Owen-Leinert interprets this work, fitting her like a second skin. […]

The score, written for solo voice only … reveals gigantic demands for the protagonist. The whole range of the human voice as an instrument is demonstrated: from melismas, ariosas and sacred madrigals to cries, whispers and absolute noises. […]

Susan Owen-Leinert masters this work with stupendous brilliance that takes ones breath away. One forgets, because of her deeply anguished interpretation, that she is "only" acting. […]

Her faultless, bright-timbred mezzo soprano shows no fatigue as she unsparingly realizes the score, even when the part demands coughing, followed immediately by vocalizations. All this has a duration of about an hour. [in comparison] The voice-killing Sequenza III from Luciano Berio or "Stripsody" by Cathy Berberian have a duration of only 5 – 10 minutes. […]

This performance, full of high-voltage intensity, a character study of a fantastic and touching, confused and destroyed soul, was followed by a short workshop which gave the audience a deeper inside look into the work of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the work of the Chamber Opera of Memphis and the almost forgotten world of experimental Opera.