All too often, Richard Wagner is misunderstood.
That’s according to Jane Eaglen, a world-renowned Wagnerian singer who debuts with the Colorado Music Festival tonight.
“I adore Wagner; I feel that I was made to sing his music,” said the English soprano, who has earned a solid reputation through her success with opera’s most demanding heroines — from her signature roles of Isolde in Wagner’s opera “Tristan und Isolde” to Brünnhilde in “Der Ring des Nibelungen.”
“As a composer, he’s incredibly complex, but also emotionally straightforward.
“Every time I sing Wagner, there’s something new to explore — there’s a limitless variety of phrasings, breathings, emphases. On any given day, depending on how you’re feeling, there’s a new and interesting way to express Wagner.”
Joining music director Michael Christie and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Eaglen will perform “The Ring Without Words,” conductor/composer Lorin Maazel’s arrangement of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” a towering operatic opera cycle written over the course of a quarter-century.
“The title is confusing because there are, of course, words,” said Eaglen. “This is such a wonderful arrangement because the audience gets to hear some of Wagner’s best — and most recognizable — music without sitting through all 15 or so hours of the ‘Ring.’
“People will be familiar with a lot of the themes in this arrangement that have also been used in films like the Arthurian ‘Excalibur.’ “
Derived from Nordic mythology, the “Ring” is a complicated web of melodic motifs. Without actually changing Wagner’s music, Maazel created a symphonic synthesis comprising several of the “Ring’s” most popular sections in a concert-length arrangement.
“Michael Christie and I know each other from Phoenix, where we did the same program a few years ago,” Eaglen said, also noting that she has previously performed at the Aspen Music Festival and taught master classes there. “I can’t wait to do it all again in Boulder.
“I promise, the audience is in for a pleasant surprise. Wagner is much more accessible than people think. Upon hearing this piece, they’ll say ‘I didn’t realize Wagner could be like this.’
“The orchestra is very loud and exciting in some places. And then — when I finish singing — there are about 5 minutes that I call my ‘dessert music,’ where I get to listen to the orchestra around me play the most glorious music.”
Eaglen’s stop in Boulder comes during her transition from her post as senior artist-in-residence at the University of Washington’s School of Music to joining the voice faculty at Baldwin- Wallace College Conservatory of Music.
“My husband and I are driving from Seattle to Ohio,” she said. “I’m tired of traveling 11 months of the year, it’ll be good to be in one place for a while.
“But I’m certainly not retiring. I can’t wait to help build up the opera department at Wallace, and I’m performing in Germany and other places yet this year . . . it’s the best of both worlds.”
Beyond opera, Eaglen is drawn to pop and rock music.
“As a performer myself, I’m really pulled in by other committed performers, like Meat Loaf and Christina Aguilera — she can really sing.
“Occasionally I’ll listen to piano music or symphonic music, but I rarely listen to opera for pleasure because there’s some element of work involved. Listening to other kinds of music is what clears my brain.”
“Epic Opera.”
Classical music. Soprano Jane Eaglen and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra perform Richard Wagner’s “Prelude and Love-Death” and “The Ring Without Words,” an arrangement of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. 7:30 Thursday and Friday. $12-$49. 303-440-7666 or
