Max Potter Steps into a New Chapter with Santuzza

Norman Reinhardt Featured on Medici TV in Strauss’s Capriccio from Teatro Real Madrid
A Sophisticated Turn in a Philosophical Comedy of Love and Art

Tonight, American tenor Norman Reinhardt appears in one of Richard Strauss’s most elegant and conceptually rich operas—Capriccio—streaming on Medici TV in a landmark production from Teatro Real Madrid. Directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Asher Fisch, this staging brings renewed clarity to Strauss’s final opera, a work that trades spectacle for subtlety and stakes for satire.

A Role Rooted in Artistry, Not Display

Reinhardt sings the role of Flamand, a composer locked in a genteel battle of wits and aesthetics with poet Olivier (Andrè Schuen), both vying for the affection of the Countess Madeleine. Though Capriccio may lack the overt drama of Strauss’s earlier works like Salome or Elektra, it demands considerable finesse from its performers—both vocally and dramatically. As Flamand, Reinhardt delivers Strauss’s conversational lyricism with clarity and conviction, shaping musical phrases that are at once tender and intellectually alive.

The role places him in the center of an opera that is less a story than a dialogue—between characters, and between art forms. Flamand’s music, particularly his setting of Olivier’s sonnet, becomes a vehicle for exploring whether music or poetry more fully captures the essence of human feeling.

Capriccio: Music, Words, and the Artist’s Dilemma

Premiered in 1942, Capriccio is a metatheatrical opera that stages an 18th-century debate about artistic primacy: should opera privilege words or music? But beneath the polished surface of this “conversation piece,” as Strauss and librettist Clemens Krauss described it, lies a meditation on artistic responsibility, the nature of creation, and the impossibility of separating beauty from subjectivity.

Set in a château outside Paris during the Enlightenment, the opera’s refined setting mirrors its refined concerns. Under Loy’s direction, the production emphasizes the stylized, almost mannerist qualities of the piece, while allowing moments of genuine feeling to emerge—particularly in the complex emotional landscape surrounding the Countess’s choice (or refusal to choose) between her two suitors.

A Career Defined by Range and Intelligence

For Reinhardt, this role continues a pattern of high-caliber engagements that emphasize his versatility. Known for his performances in Mozart, Strauss, and 20th-century repertoire, Reinhardt brings an unusually clear diction and thoughtful phrasing to roles that often require more than vocal power. As Flamand, he strikes the balance between artistic passion and courtly restraint—a challenge not only of singing but of characterization.

A Global Stage for a Chamber Opera

With Teatro Real’s production reaching audiences worldwide via Medici TV, this Capriccio offers viewers a rare opportunity to encounter Strauss’s most intimate opera in a richly realized staging. It also places Reinhardt before an international audience in a role that demands—and rewards—artistic nuance.

Max Potter Steps into a New Chapter with Santuzza

This fall, mezzo-soprano Max Potter makes her role debut as Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Santa Barbara. The engagement marks a new milestone in Potter’s trajectory as she embraces the emotionally rich and vocally demanding world of dramatic Italian repertoire.

A Breakout Year of Range and Risk

Potter’s 2024-2025 season has showcased her artistic range and interpretive agility. She opened the year with a scene-stealing performance as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, also with Opera Santa Barbara, bringing freshness and nuance to the Mozartian classic. Shortly after, she debuted in Verdi’s Requiem with the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, where her performance was praised for its vocal authority and emotional presence. With Santuzza, Potter now turns to a role that requires both physical stamina and unflinching dramatic intensity.

Why Cavalleria Rusticana Still Matters

Premiered in 1890, Cavalleria Rusticana is a cornerstone of the verismo tradition—a genre of Italian opera focused on real-life emotion, often set among the working class. At just one act, the opera condenses themes of betrayal, passion, and retribution into a taut narrative, set in a Sicilian village on Easter morning. Santuzza—a woman betrayed by her lover and condemned by her community—is at the emotional center of the work.

The Role of Santuzza: Power, Pain, and Presence

Portraying Santuzza is not simply about vocal heft. The role requires a singer who can inhabit psychological complexity and sustain dramatic intensity across the opera’s short but explosive arc. For a mezzo-soprano like Potter, known for her vocal warmth and grounded stage presence, Santuzza offers an ideal outlet to explore new dramatic territory without compromising vocal integrity.

A Defining Moment with Opera Santa Barbara

Opera Santa Barbara’s production gives Potter a platform to deepen her collaboration with a company that has already played a formative role in her recent growth. With a creative team committed to nuance and clarity, the production promises to foreground the raw emotional stakes that make Cavalleria Rusticana endure with audiences across generations.

Looking Ahead

With this role debut, Max Potter continues to expand her artistic profile in meaningful and deliberate ways. Whether in Mozart, Verdi, or Mascagni, she brings a distinctive combination of vocal richness and interpretive thoughtfulness that positions her as an artist with staying power—and an evolving story still very much in motion.

On June 23, acclaimed cellist Maddalena Del Gobbo will present her latest album, Maddalena in Wonderland, at the Italian Embassy in Vienna. Released by Supreme Classics, the album reimagines the relationship between historical performance and contemporary storytelling, inviting listeners into a richly textured sonic landscape. The evening will include remarks from the artist, live excerpts from the album, and a reception in the embassy’s historic salons. Presented in partnership with Supreme Classics, the event is expected to draw a distinguished audience from the worlds of diplomacy, the arts, and cultural leadership.

About the Album
Del Gobbo’s creative work consistently pushes against conventional boundaries of genre and presentation. Maddalena in Wonderland continues that trajectory, offering a program that merges baroque repertoire with personal narrative, cinematic pacing, and a sense of theatrical wonder. The album reflects her commitment to historically informed performance—but filtered through a modern lens that values experimentation and emotional immediacy.

A Cultural Context
The Italian Embassy in Vienna, long a site for fostering international dialogue through the arts, provides a fitting backdrop for this launch. In recent years, the embassy has supported artists working at the intersection of heritage and innovation—a context in which Del Gobbo’s work resonates strongly. As cultural diplomacy increasingly involves interdisciplinary and experiential formats, events like this serve not only as artistic showcases but as platforms for conversation between sectors—artistic, diplomatic, and institutional.

Bridging Disciplines, Expanding Horizons
Maddalena Del Gobbo’s latest project reflects a vision that aligns closely with our work at CM Culture: honoring tradition while challenging its boundaries. Maddalena in Wonderland brings baroque performance into dialogue with narrative, imagination, and visual aesthetics—demonstrating how classical music can be experienced not only as repertoire, but as environment and story.

As with all the projects we support, this launch is more than a singular event. It marks the start of a broader conversation about how classical artists today can shape the future of the art form—on their own terms, and in spaces that invite cross-cultural and cross-sector engagement. We look forward to seeing how this work evolves in the months ahead.