June 26, 2006: Werther in Vienna

2006-06-26 Werther (Massenet), Wiener Staatsoper

Werther = Marcus Haddock
Albert = Morten Frank Larsen
Le Bailli = Janusz Monarcha
Charlotte = Elina Garanca
Sophie = Ileana Tonca
Schmidt = Benedikt Kobel
Johann = Clemens Unterreiner

Marco Armiliato, conductor

Werther (Massenet), Wiener Staatsoper
Dirigent: Marco Armiliato
Inszenierung: Andrei Serban
Bühne: Peter Pabst
Kostüme: Peter Pabst, Petra Reinhardt
Choreinstudierung: Ernst Dunshirn


Beginn: 19.30
The tenor Marcus Haddock looked quite like Marcelo Alvarez and acted as him too. His singing was not at the level as Marcelo Alvarez. The costumes looked false on him, and I could not understand how anyone could fall in love with him. I am sure Alvarez would have made one forget the costumes which was OK for all the others but Werther. Elina Garanca has the most gorgeous mezzo soprano voice. She was absolutely wonderful. Ileana Tonca sang Sophie also wonderfully, Albert was great. But then it was the direction which I think really made this Werther production something I cannot like. It was the Postmodern Ironie. Werther is an idiot, he should more be poetic. Charlotte was just a BIG EGO, she should really care for the children, instead she is more looking in the mirror, making her make-up perfect. Sophie is the one really tending the children, but she should be the second care-taker of the children. There is too many children in that household.

The singing was wonderful, but the REGIE was just about reading WERTHER the false way. Here you have great singers that can act well but chose to make most of what people say into falsehood. It was really depressing. This opera doesn't need that kind of help.

June 26, 2005: Aida in Verona

2005-06-26 Aida (Verdi), Arena di Verona

The King = Marco Spotti
Amneris = Tichina Vaughn
Aida = Micaela Carosi
Radamès = José Cura
Ramfis = Vitalji Kovaliov
Amonasro = Alberto Mastromarino
A messenger = Carlo Bosi
High Priestess = Antonella Trevisan

Daniel Oren, conductor

Arena
26 June 2005 - 21.15



Aida


Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Daniel Oren


DIRECTOR Franco Zeffirelli
SCENOGRAPHER Franco Zeffirelli
COSTUME DESIGNER Anna Anni



Wonderful!!!

I could have had another opera the day before, La Gioconda (June 25) but I decided to rest in Hotel Tryp Verona. I think that was wise. June 26 at 1830 I took the Opera Bus to Verona (Castelvecchio) and as before I ate some dinner at Cafe Opera before the opera started. This time too I saw no JCx friends before I too was inside the Arena, even more friends this time.

And I sat on the front row and this was an even better Aida, almost perfect. Again it was the conductor's tempi (too fast at delicate places in Aida). I could see the conductor from my place, in my opinion he was too preoccupied with the orchestra and looked seldom up to the singers.

But still the singers was better, the conductor was also a bit kinder to the singers. Another Ramfis this time, Vitalji Kavaliov, also doing quite well. Indeed they were all doing very well despite this time there was a few times when they almost sang wrong. But this was a more energetic Aida and better acted. Alberto Mastromarino as Amonasro was doing well although he was not so exact as on June 23.

Better last act certainly. Wonderful AIDA!!!

June 26, 2002: Carmen in Vienna

2002-06-26 Carmen (G. Bizet), Wiener Staatsoper

Carmen = Agnes Baltsa
Don José = Richard Leech
Escamillo = Egils Silins
Micaëla = Anja Harteros
Frasquita = Simina Ivan
Mercedes = Stella Grigorian
Zuniga = Goran Simic
Morales = Yu Chen
Remendado = Walter Pauritsch
Dancairo = Markus Nieminen
Lillas Pastia = Csaba Markovits

Jun Märkl, conductor

WIener Staatsoper
mittwoch, 26. juni 2002
107. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Carmen
Oper in vier Akten (nach Prosper Mérimée) von H. Meilhac und L. Halévy
Musik von Georges Bizet

Dirigent Jun Märkl
Inszenierung und
Bühnenbild Franco Zeffirelli
KostümeLeo Bei
Choreographie Rafael de Cordova
Chorleitung Ernst Dunshirn
,

Tänze Rita Kommentisch
Rudolf Wächter
Christoph Wenzel
und das Corps de ballet
(A) Stipendiat des Herbert von Karajan Centrums

This time I will never forget the great duet at the end of the opera.
Carmen on June 26th, was the most memorable erlebnis than June 23rd.

No fault this time for the trumpeter in act 1. Agnes Baltsa seemed to be in a special mood. She did many thing she didn't do June 23rd. She was special. Unfortunately was the Escamillo Egils Silins not a better Escamillo today. Anja Harteros was still happily applauded with shouts of Bravo. Richard Leech and Agnes Baltsa seemed get better together. The duet "C'est toi!" was incredible. And it was murder on the stage, really shocking, believable. Simina Ivan and Stella Grigorian must be the best Frasquita/Mercedes I have ever seen.

Then the opera was over. I had my camera, with my small flash. But there were "big guns" there, flashed the lit out the almost the whole floor. Many flashes. AGNES BALTSA is GREEK, the diva reacts with fire, some threatening gestures to the parts of the audience, which she think is guilty. I felt myself being struck by lightening, even though my small camera, is just a little baby. Short small flash. Then AGNES BALTSA knows what to do, she must remember the most of the audience is innocent, and so she smiles and raises her arms in a gesture of thank-you.

I definitely do not dare to try to take a picture of Agnes Baltsa as she leaves the operahouse. Besides I don't have the time. I have trains to catch, I am going back to Scandinavia, and on June 28th I will see José Cura in Dalhalla, Sweden.

June 26, 1997: Aida in Vienna

1997-06-26 Aida (Verdi), Wiener Staatsoper

Re D'Egitto = David Cale Johnson
Amneris = Waltraud Meier
Aida = Deborah Voigt
Radames = Kristjan Johannsson
Ramphis = Kurt Rydl
Amonasro = Simon Estes
Un Messagero = Franz Kasemann
Sacedotessa = Marjorie Vance

Marcello Viotti, conductor

Aida
Oper in vier Akten von Antonio Ghislanzoni
Musik Giuseppe Verdi

Dirigent Marcello Viotti
Nach einer Inszenierung von Nicolas Joel
Ausstattung Carlo Tommasi
Choreographie Jan Stripling
Chorleitung Dietrich D. Gerpheide



Die Handlung spielt in Theben
zur Zeit der pharaonen

Ballett: 2. Bild Das Corps de ballet
3. BildEva Polacek
Claudia Stocker
Silvia Tzankova
4. Bild Irina Lebedjewa
Wolfgang Grascher Christian Herden Christian Rovny
und das Corps de ballet
Eleven der Ballettschule
der Österreichischen Bundestheater Bühnenorchester
der Österreichischen Bundestheater

A wonderful Aida with Deborah Voigt in good voice. A great cast and a wonderful production. Many tourists in the State Opera, many Japanese kimonos to see.

The moment I remembered the most is when Waltraud Meier went down the steep stairs and then there was a big flash from a camera. My heart almost stopped, that could have been very dangerous for Waltraud Meier. But she got down still whole.

I have seen an opera performance with so many camera flashes while the performance lasted. Usually people have the wits to wait until the applause.