A recurring guest artist in the productions of the Budapest Wagner Days festival, she will not be taking the stage this time in an opera role, but as a recital singer, performing a programme of masterpieces from the genre of German and Austrian lieder alongside her old seasoned partner on piano.
A legendary Carmen and a memorable Leonora (in Fidelio), a Klytaemnestra of extraordinary intensity and a Marie illuminating psychological profundities (in Wozzeck). Ortrud, Venus, Sieglinde and Waltraude, all on a grand scale. Extremely varied roles that share the fact that they have all been superbly sung by Waltraud Meier. Over the course of her career, her artistic trademark became the unyielding perfectionism that consistently came through in her approach to the nuances of the music, her dramatic portrayals of the characters and her pronunciation of the text. This same fastidiousness is evident in the programme for her song recital.
Mahler, Wolf and Schönberg - all composers connected to the inspiration of Wagner's ideas in many ways, whether it be the fullness of the harmonies, the formation of the melodies, the declamatory character of the vocal parts or the devices for creating atmosphere and musical narration. Taking his place among them on this evening will be Wagner himself, along with the sole song cycle of his oeuvre, the Wesendonck-lieder: an extraordinarily personal series whose third and fifth songs are themselves integrally linked to the opera stage - to the music of Tristan und Isolde. The programme for Meier's song recital is a creative work in its own right, one that conveys a message.