March 24, 2006: Stiffelio in Zurich

2006-03-24 Stiffelio (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Lina = Adriana Damato
Stiffelio = José Cura
Stankar = Renato Bruson
Raffaele = Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Federico Sacchi
Federico = Martin Zysset
Dorotea = Margaret Chalker

Stefano Ranzani, conductor



Stiffelio - Verdi (Wiederaufnahme)
In italienischer Sprache
Dirigent Stefano Ranzani
Inszenierung Cesare Lievi
Bühnenbild Csaba Antal
Kostüme Marina Luxardo
Lichtgestaltung Jürgen Hoffmann
Choreinstudierung Ernst Raffelsberger


My favorite opera is Stiffelio. My favorite tenor is Jose Cura. The Soprano Adriana Damato who I had seen and heard in Parma in the Verdi Concert 2004 she sang then Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri and Il Corsaro and did a very favorable impression. I know that she have sung Mina in Aroldo, Stiffelio's twin opera, so I was very eager to see this Zurich production of Stiffelio with Cura and Adriana Damato. Her voice seem sometimes not big enough but her charisma was very strong. Unescapable when onstage. Very much what I dreamed.

On March 24th it was very much a live performance. Small missteps here and there. Some ensembles did not start right, when one person stumbles it makes any septet difficult to come right. Stefano Ranzani might be a wonderful conductor but the orchestra sometimes drowned the singers and is not the conductor responsible in saving it when the singers go a bit wrong. So it was an almost perfect performance. Though a bit disconnected at times.

Renato Bruson who has sung Stankar many times and was very much applauded in Zurich seem to me a bit too heavy in voice in this Zurich production. I guess Leo Nucci in 2004 made an impression not to be forgotten. He became the ideal Stankar for me.

Jose Cura was wonderful as Stiffelio and together with Damato, it was simply stunning. Federico Sacchi as Jorg seemed to be a too light a bass. Martin Zysset and Margaret Chalker did well, but was both better in 2004.

But in 2004 there was a premiere of Stiffelio and more performances in the season, now there were only 2. Can one expect miracles when rehearsal time is probably more scarce?

Reinaldo Macias was as always wonderful as Raffaele.

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