June 10, 2002: Lucia di Lammermoor in Vienna

2002-06-10 Lucia di Lammermoor (G. Donizetti), Wiener Staatsoper

Enrico = Manuel Lanza
Lucia = Stefania Bonfadelli
Edgardo = Tito Beltran
Arturo = John Nuzzo
Raimondo = Dan Paul Dumitrescn
Alisa = Florina Carmen
Normanno = Cosmin Ifrim

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor

Wiener Staatsoper
montag, 10. juni 2002
129. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Lucia di Lammermoor
Tragische Oper
Dichtung nach Walter Scott
von Salvatore Cammarano
Musik von Gaetano Donizetti

Musikalische Leitung Frédéric Chaslin
Inszenierung Boleslaw Barlog
Bühnenbild Pantelis Dessyllas
KostümeSilvia Strahammer
Chorleitung Ernst Dunshirn
,

-.
Ort der Handlung Schloß und Park von Ravenswood in Schottland Zeit Ende des 16 Jahrhunderts
Orchester und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper
" Stipendiat des Herbert von Karajan Centrums

TITO BELTRAN as Edgardo
Stefania Bonfadelli as LUCIA

Last time I saw it in Vienna State Opera was with Edita Gruberova as Lucia, she was just amazing: vocally and acting and in seeming so young. This time with a young soprano, wonderful voice and acting skills. Was Bonfadelli better then Gruberova? Different, but not better. The balance was better in Gruberova´ performance, in a mad scene that was not so exaggerated, but more chilling because of that. And in the beginning of the opera, when she tells of the ghost she saw and her love of Edgardo, much more adorable and winning and the young soprano. The duet with her brother, much better acting and singing. My heart did not beat so much for this Lucia, even though she has a very rich soprano voice, a fullbodied voice, and yet the top notes was sometimes a rather unpleasant shock.

Tito Beltran, was a really wonderful Edgardo, youthful and shining. Getting better all through the evening. The last scene really was a shower of tears for me. So emotional, hard not to start crying for real.

What could have made this evening better: a better Enrico. Manuel Lanza was weak this evening. Even the showstoppers that Enrico have was not a highlight. It was impossible for Stefania Bonfadelli to be better in the scene Lucia/Enrico, because of her weak partner. And in the Wolfrag-scene between Edgardo/Enrico, without a strong partner it was not possible to make this a real highlight, even for TITO BELTRAN

June 10, 2000: Samson et Dalila in Zurich

2000-06-10 Samson et Dalila (C. Saint-Saëns), Opernhaus Zurich

Dalila = Agnes Baltsa
Samson = José Cura
Le Grand-Prêtre de Dagon = Giorgio Zancanaro
Abimelech = Guido Götzen
Un vieillard hebreu = Giuseppe Scorsin
Un messager philistin = Matthias Aeberhard
Premier philistin = Miroslav Christoff
Second philistin = Werner Gröschel
Un enfant = Joêl Bourgeois

Jacques Delacôte, conductor

Samson et Dalila with Jose Cura, Agnes Baltsa & Giorgio Zancanaro

It is the same production that I saw in 1996 with Carreras as Samson, Baltsa as Dalila, and Giorgio Zancanaro as Grand Pretre de Dagon. And naturally I wondered about how would Cura do against the comparison of Carreras. Already as we first see Cura, difference is great. Cura is coming, the muscle-man, trying to convince the people as with force. When Carreras came, it was the as a prophete, a Man of God, with spiritual means to convince the people. Samson was a womanizer (read the Bible) so Cura is doing it right in act 1 when Dalila is singing and he is trying to look at all the women on the stage. Carreras (Samson) saw only Dalila (Baltsa).

Act 2
The excitement was greater in 1996 (maybe it was age, maybe not). Jose Cura and Agnes Baltsa in the seduction scene, the magnetism was not working... Carreras/Baltsa in 1996 was magic.

Act 3
"Vois ma misere". Jose Cura was too physically strong to make justice to this scene. Carreras, on the other hand, was heartbroken and the audience felt it, it was making me cry. Cura sang well, but I was indifferent. Cura was almost tossing the boy around on the stage, when a boy guides the blinded Samson. One never felt that this Samson had lost any strength. With Carreras we all knew it was God's hand that destroyed the Hall with all the Philistines and Samson and Dalila.

The same production as 1996 and Agnes Baltsa is older, but it was great enjoyment. My personal view of Samson makes Jose Carreras my favorite Samson, but I admit that Jose Cura is not bad. (I like Carreras' more spiritual Samson, Cura was more the physical strong Samson), One witness a near operatic disaster in Act 1, Cura loses track, and his big voice makes it so obvious. But Cura is a professional artist he gets on track. Zancanaro is not better than in 1996, but he is good.

Musikalische LeitungJACQUES DELACÔTE
InszenierungGRISCHA ASAGAROFF
BühnenbildMAROUAN DIB
KostümeJAN SKALlCKY
Lichtgestaltung'ROBERTUS CREMER
ChorJÜRG HÄMMERLl
ChoreographieBERND R. BIENERT


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