Dr Antony Ernst is a director, dramaturg, lecturer and arts administrator who has worked with companies and universities in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and America. He started as a dramaturg with Opera Australia, has worked as a house director in Dresden, Düsseldorf and Rome, has completed a doctorate and directed Opera Australia’s production of Salome in 2003. More recently, Antony was Manager of Artistic Planning for the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra in France, and since 2017 has been Director of the Royal Danish Orchestra in Copenhagen. Antony is a very popular guest lecturer on opera and is a music tour leader in Australia and overseas. He has spoken to WSNSW on several occasions over the past decade.
ABOUT THE DVD:
From the time of her debut in 1910 to her farewell recital in 1951, Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976) was recognised as a supreme singing actress and recitalist. After her retirement from the stage, Lehmann began teaching master classes in interpretation at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Filmed in July 1961, the legendary soprano guides students through arias and scenes from 'Der Rosenkavalier', 'Le Nozze di Figaro', ‘Lohengrin', 'Der Freischütz' and ‘Fidelio'. It includes Lehmann’s invaluable demonstration/performance of the Marschallin’s Monologue from 'Der Rosenkavalier'. The class is followed by a rare 21-minute interview in which Lehmann discusses her life and career (CBC,1963), including her associations with Bruno Walter, Richard Strauss, Giacomo Puccini, and others.