March 11, 2007: Le Villi in Genova

2007-03-11 Le Villi (Puccini), Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova

Roberto = José Cura
Anna = Fiorenza Cedolins
Guglielmo Wulf = Gabriele Viviani

Riccardo Frizza, conductor



Le Villi
Opera-ballo in due atti di Ferdinando Fontana,
musica di Giacomo Puccini.
In forma semiscenica

Teatro Carlo Felice

Spettacoli correlati:

L'opera è preceduta dalla Sinfonia n. 1 in re minore op. 75 di Martucci


Direttore Riccardo Frizza

Prima: mercoledì 7 marzo 2007, 20.30 (A)
Repliche: venerdì 9 marzo, 20.30 (B)
domenica 11 marzo, 15.30 (C)

This was a strange day, check-out from hotel, and having to get a train after the opera. But this was the best performance, I doubt the 2007-03-07 performance was better (I was not there, but Rai Radio was there and it was transmitted on radio).

What was the difference: No glasses for Jose Cura this time. He was FREE and could really ACT out as Roberto which also meant that Fiorenza Cedolins would be able to react as the fine actress she is. Gabriele Viviani was still a bit wooden but as the old Babbo Guglielmo it was easily forgiven, his voice was all that matters, but there is only so much to do when it is a concert and your part is really small.

Teatro Carlo Felice is really a fine theater but all the same I was sitting too close to people who do not understand that chatting is not permitted during an opera or concert. It did not completely destroy my opera evenings, but it did not make me happy. And these was not young people who did not no better... Inexcusable.

Anyway, Fiorenza Cedolins was not lucky when she sang a wonderful "Se come voi" because the orchestra glitched, and that was the only fault in this performance, think, during her big aria. But she had the luck of Jose Cura completely in his role as Roberto. How he touched her face when he said he wanted a smile, touching. The duet was really wonderful. And the prayer in the end of act 1 was also wonderfully executed. The aria of Guglielmo Wolf in act 2 is not easy to get, I guess you really need a stage for that one. Jose Cura was incredible in Roberto's long aria in act 2. And the final duet Cedolins/Cura was great.

Not strange that the applause lasted a bit over 10 minutes.


March 2007: Le Villi in Genova (2007-03-11)

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March 10, 2007: Cavalleria Rusticana in Genova

2007-03-10 Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni), Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova

Santuzza = Susan Neves
Lola = Paola Gardina
Turiddu = Salvatore Licitra
Alfio = Vitaliy Bilyy
Mamma Lucia = Ambra Vespasiani

Bruno Bartoletti, conductor

THIS TIME Pagliacci was first, CavRust last.

Cavalleria rusticana
Melodramma in un atto di Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti e Guido Menasci, musica di Pietro Mascagni

Teatro Carlo Felice

Spettacoli correlati: Pagliacci



Orchestra director Bruno Bartoletti

Direction Sebastiano Lo Monaco

Settings Gianfranco Padovani

Costumes Avallone Giuseppe


Date
Opening night: friday 23 february, 20.30 (A)
Performances: sunday 25 february, 15.30 (C)
tuesday 27 february, 20.30 (B)
thursday 1 march, 20.30 (L)
sunday 4 march, 15.30 (R)
tuesday 6 march, 20.30 (FA)
thursday 8 march, 15.30 (GI)
saturday 10 march, 15.30 (F)

Why was Cavalleria Rusticana after Pagliacci, maybe because... No, impossible to guess. The only thing that is important is that it worked very well.

This production, unlike the Pagliacci production was not right a way just right for me. Both ideas was all action in the same place. Which naturally meant that the Siciliana was sung backstage when the curtain was down. Then when the opera started all we saw was a desert, and that was Cavalleria Rusticana. Sometimes it was a desert with Jesus on the cross etc, so that was I guess "the Church" and Easter celebration. And a desert with some chairs was Mamma Lucia's tavern. But this desert made it very real when the people came from work with oranges, except, for oranges to grow is not a desert a very natural thing, no. So it sort of worked, but just when you are not thinking :-).

So that was the production ideas. But what really made it work was the film in the back ground. Showing the sky and sea. Dark sky when it was almost night still etc. And of course the thunder that made the whole chorus disappear when it started to rain, and made it possible for Santuzza to have a private dialogue with Mamma Lucia (Voi lo sapete, o mamma). And during the duet Santuzza/Turriddu the Jesus-statures was being carried away.

But all this would not have worked if the singers had just stood there. It worked because of the great acting and singing, so the director had really done his bit. Salvatore Licitra was a wonderful Turriddu and Susan Neves was a wonderful Santuzza.

For me the only thing is that Susan Neves, she is a wonderful soprano with great vocal range, but she is NOT a MEZZO. And for me Santuzza is a mezzo voice like Agnes Baltsa.

And after the opera, we met the singers from Cavalleria Rusticana: Salvatore Licitra was dressed like a racer driver and Susan Neves looked liked she was just any normal woman, instead of the reality, a FANTASTIC soprano (wow, I wish I had managed to take a splashing good photo of her, but my camera did not take my photos when I pressed the button, but waited some seconds too many).

Well, I guess, singers sometimes long for normality after work.

March 2007: Cavalleria Rusticana in Genova (2007-0...

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March 10, 2007: Pagliacci in Genova

2007-03-10 Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova

Canio = Salvatore Licitra
Nedda = Svetla Vassileva
Tonio = Alberto Gazale
Silvio = Roberto De Candia
Beppe = Bruno Ribeiro

Bruno Bartoletti, conductor

THIS TIME Pagliacci was first, CavRust last.

Pagliacci
Dramma in un prologo e due atti di Ruggero Leoncavallo, musica di Ruggero Leoncavallo

Teatro Carlo Felice

Spettacoli correlati: Cavalleria rusticana



Orchestra director Bruno Bartoletti

Direction Sebastiano Lo Monaco

Settings Gianfranco Padovani

Costumes Avallone Giuseppe

Opening night: friday 23 february, 20.30 (A)
Performances: sunday 25 february, 15.30 (C)
tuesday 27 february, 20.30 (B)
thursday 1 march, 20.30 (L)
sunday 4 march, 15.30 (R)
tuesday 6 march, 20.30 (FA)
thursday 8 march, 15.30 (GI)
saturday 10 march, 15.30 (F)

In Genoa the very known double-bill CAV/PAG started with PAGLIACCI. That's unusual. But not the first time. I liked this production very much. All action was in the same place in the whole opera. That Canio's troupe also had circus elements was very naturally implemented. Never did it intrude or become a distraction.

Our Silvio (Roberto De Candia) was not the usual most handsome baritone you can find as type. But in saying so, it makes you think, why should it only be believable that Nedda could love only a beautiful man... So in a way, here you are at the heart of the story; who is Nedda, or rather what does love mean for her. Nedda (Svetla Vassileva) made it clear how this is not our usual operatic heroine. She does not love her husband Canio, she does not even let him kiss her, which is humiliating when a wife does so in front a whole village. But Canio seem more good-humored and just go on joking with the children. So during the opera she is uncaring to Canio, and quite cruel to Tonio (Alberto Gazale) but tender to Silvio and good-hearted to her daughter....

Daughter, you say... Yes in this production Canio and Nedda are parents. Which naturally makes Nedda's death truly heart-breaking. In herself is Nedda not a person easy to love. But when a small child comes out, running towards mother's dead body. Then the audience and of course Canio, the father, see what a terrible thing he has just done. And then "La Commedia è finita" he says, his voice is broken, and so is the man and his family. But Tonio got his revenge on the woman he said he loved. But did not love enough to have a happy life.

No, I am not over-looking Canio (Salvatore Licitra). The reason I wanted to see CAV/PAG in the first place. What a singer, what an actor!!! He sang wonderfully, his Vesti La Giubba was the best I ever heard. And when you add to that, he was such a great actor. Totally believable...

BRAVO, Salvatore!! Bravi, tutti! and BRAVA, Bambina!


March 2007: Pagliacci in Genova (2007-03-10)

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March 9, 2007: Le Villi in Genova

2007-03-09 Le Villi (Puccini), Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova

Roberto = José Cura
Anna = Fiorenza Cedolins
Guglielmo Wulf = Gabriele Viviani

Riccardo Frizza, conductor



Le Villi
Opera-ballo in due atti di Ferdinando Fontana,
musica di Giacomo Puccini.
In forma semiscenica

Teatro Carlo Felice

Spettacoli correlati:

L'opera è preceduta dalla
Sinfonia n. 1 in re minore op. 75 di Martucci


Direttore Riccardo Frizza

Prima: mercoledì 7 marzo 2007, 20.30 (A)
Repliche: venerdì 9 marzo, 20.30 (B)
domenica 11 marzo, 15.30 (C)

Before the opera, there was a concert piece: Sinfonia n. 1 in re minore op. 75 di Martucci. It was not a bad piece. I found it quite operatic. After the interval: LE VILLI. The disappoint was that the opera was just really a concert of a whole opera. So I don't really see this as In forma semiscenica, really. it was just a backdrop showing a film, dark and with showing up some white lines in all its blackness was that Semiscenica.... No, it was simply a concert nothing more. The conductor was energetic with his arms almost in the faces of the artists, specially in the face of soprano Fiorenza Cedolins. Fiorenza Cedolins who was almost the perfect Tosca in Verona 2006 with Salvatore Licitra as her Cavaradossi was not up to the role of Anna, I felt. She was inhibited in her approach.Much better was she on Sunday's Le Villi. Her big voice in Verona seemed to big a little voice in Genova on this Friday. But in the 2nd act she was more like a true Anna.

Jose Cura had his glasses when he sang, on this Friday. His acting was limited, this was more of pure singing than acting out the complete Roberto feeling. But on this Friday it was quite obvious that Cura's main interest lay in the Symphonic structures of the opera. As a conductor LA STREGENDA from Le Villi is sort of his specialty, so he was very much there living the music. Also Fiorenza Cedolins was very there in reading the singers partiture all the time.

Gabriele Viviani as father Guglielmo was too young to be Fiorenza Cedolins father. But in his voice he was Babbo Guglielmo, an imposing man. But his beautiful voice could not really have the bite in it that is needed in act 2.

Even if this had been my only Le Villi in Genova I would not have regretted coming to Italy. But I am really happy that I chose to stay and get the better LE VILLI performance, or should I say the near perfect one.

March 2007: Le Villi in Genova (2007-03-09)

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February 23, 2007: Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Oslo

2007-02-23 Il Barbiere di Siviglia (G. Rossini), Den Norske Opera

Almaviva = Juan José Lopera
Rosina = Virginia Tola
Figaro = Tom Erik Lie
Dr. Bartolo = Jonathan Veira
Don Basilio = Carsten Stabell
Berta = Toril Carlsen
Fiorello = Stevica Krajinonic
Ambrogio = Huw Reynolds
Notario / Rag doll = Martin Hasselgren
Police Officer = Petter Fegran

Tobias Ringberg, conductor



BARBEREN I SEVILLA

Opera i 2 akter av Gioacchino Rossini
- Libretto: Cesare Sterbini


Premiere: 23/2
Øvrige spilledager: 24/2,26/2, 28/2,1/3, 2/3, 3/3,4/3, 19/3, 22/3, 27/3
Spilletid: ca 2 t og 45 min
Fremføres på italiensk
Norske overtekster

Musikalsk ledelse: Tobias Ringberg
Regi: Francois de Carpentries
Dramaturg: Karine van Hercke
Scenografi: Emmanuel Clolus
Kostymer: Karine van Hercke
Lysdesign: Pierre Berthomé
Kormester: Steffen Kammler



Den Norske Operas kor
Den Norske Operas orkester

Produksjonen er et samarbeid med Opéra National de Lorraine, Nancy

The very famous ouverture beautifully played by the orchestra. At more than one occasion the orchestra stopped for so many seconds that a new listened would have thought the overture suddenly died. The conductor played the hammer-piano in the recitatives, although the singers were lively, the accompanist made so many extra thrills that it seemed to take forever until a new aria broke out and we could start enjoying ourselves again. But luckily the drama strong and very good comedy it was too.

Juan Jose Lopera was a wonderful Almaviva, wonderfully sung, acted. Tom Erik Lie was a very young Figaro, very enjoyable and humorous and a great voice. Doctor Bartolo was fully embodied with Jonathan Veira, a great singer and actor. Don Basilio was also wonderfully played and sung by Carsten Harboe Stabell. It was very sad that role of Berta has so little to sing but Toril Carlson sang Berta's aria wonderfully, what a wonderful warm soprano voice she has. Virginia Tola sang Rosina as mezzo soprano, beautiful sung and acted but she seemed to have a little voice compared to the other singers. Maybe she did not dare sing out too much.

The opera started at 1900 and ended at approx. 2200. And so my parents took the 2250 bus home. If we had come to late for that one, we would have to wait until 0050, 2 more hours.

The second act of il Barbiere was such a lot of fun, that I used many more muscles in my face than usual. "pace e gioia" . Juan Jose Lopera as the monk Don Alonso, hilarious...

February 2007: Il Barbiere in Oslo (2007-02-23)

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January 13, 2007: Tosca in Zurich

2007-01-13 Tosca (G. Puccini), Opernhaus Zurich

Floria Tosca = Norma Fantini
Mario Cavaradossi = Marcelo Alvarez
Baron Scarpia = Ruggero Raimondi
Angelotti = Tomasz Slawinski
Mesner = Giuseppe Scorsin
Spoletta = Andreas Winkler
Sciarrone = Rolf Haunstein

Nello Santi, conductor




Tosca - Puccini
In italienischer Sprache


Deflo/Frigerio/Squarciapino/Hämmerli


Dirigent
Nello Santi


Inszenierung
Gilbert Deflo


Bühnenbild
Ezio Frigerio


Kostüme
Franca Squarciapino


Lichtgestaltung
Jürgen Hoffmann


Choreinstudierung
Jürg Hämmerli



PAUSE NACH DEM 1. AKT BEGINN: 19.30 UHR
ENDE:22.15 UHR


It was a wonderful opera evening. Ruggero Raimondi was a great Scarpia, Marcelo Alvarez was wonderful as Cavaradossi and so was Norma Fantini as Tosca.

The disappointment was the conductor Nello Santi who was almost killing the beautiful music, Tosca was mostly played painfully slow with sudden unreasoned faster parts. The Regie by Gilbert Deflo was not helping, as awkward moments in act 1. And deciding that Tosca would shoot herself rather that leaping from the Castello was really bad. Especially since both the shooting of Cavaradossi and later by Tosca was really too quiet. Not that one could not hear it but it didn't even hit our nerves. The scenography by Ezio Frigerio was probably one reason it was sometimes hard to hear the singers. The glass walls was just not reflecting the sound but it was giving reflects of the singers and the monitors which was a bit disturbing. And then there so not a huge or even big painting of Maria Magdalen, just some painters papers which really make the acting much more harder to do realistically.

After the opera, no Ruggero Raimondi in sight but delightful Marcelo Alvarez and the nicest soprano of all, Norma Fantini made the evening perfect. Marcelo Alvarez was most generous tenor meeting his fans and making everybody enjoy it deeply. And Norma Fantini was the warmest and nicest person you could meet. At the stage door a huge success for the fans. And I could go to the hotel with a big smile in my face. NORMA FANTINI, the power of nice!!!!


January 2007: Tosca in Zurich (2007-01-13)

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November 24, 2007: Elektra in Budapest

2007-11-24 Elektra (R.Strauss), Magyar Állami Operaház

Klytämnestra = Agnes Baltsa
Elektra = Nadine Secunde
Chrysothemis = Bátori Éva
Aegisthos = Gulyás Dénes
Orestes = Perencz Béla
Orestes nevelője - Cser Krisztián
Klytemneistra bizalmasa - Balogh Tímea
Uszályhordozónő - Polyák Valéria
Fiatal szolga - Megyesi Zoltán
Öreg szolga - Szegedi Csaba
A felügyelőnő - Kukely Júlia
1. szolgáló - Balatoni Éva
2. szolgáló - Érsek Dóra
3. szolgáló - Mester Viktória
4. szolgáló - Fodor Beatrix
5. szolgáló - Wierdl Eszter

Kovács János, conductor

Magyar nyelvű feliratok / Hungarian textMesterházi Máté
Rendező / DirectorKovalik Balázs
Díszlettervező / stage designer Antal Csaba
Jelmeztervező / costume designerBenedek Mari
Karigazgató / Chorus MasterSzabó Sipos Máté


It is Premiere of Elektra and the opera house is wrapped in red on this occasion. Only two things bothered me: that my seat got very uncomfortable after 70 min's plus of Opera, real pain in my ..., and the end where Orest kills both his sisters with a machine gun, so totally unnecessary.

Nadine Secunde was great as Elektra (no surprise there), Eva Batori was wonderful as Chrysothemis. Agnes Baltsa was magnetic as Klytämnestra.

The production: Modern and set in a bath. It started startlingly with the opera house completely dark and then suddenly some light and the thunder of Straussian music. And unlike the Vienna production we could see the people and different types and real human being. The very self-assured über-type of woman, from the more submissive one. But to be onstage without shoes, naked but for some bathrobe or just a towel wrap round the bodies, I would guess they look forward to get dressed again. Some nakedness occurred, only male, and for a short time. Elektra had a black dress (dressed as widow), Chrysothemis in white (dressed as a bride). Klytämnestra also had black dress and a white fur robe. Orest dressed very formally but with sunglasses. Aigist had only a white bathrobe which made him very self-conscious when taking the bow at the end.

The changing of color lighting the stage was very well done. So naturally it got to be very red during some parts of the Elektra/Klytämnestra scene. The symbolism when Klytämnestra was killed was perfectly. No such symbolism for Aigist.

In the end after the murders:Chrysothemis was first greeted by Orestes people as Princess and goes out to dress herself as a new Klytämnestra. Elektra also changes out with the old puff, and a white robe is over the old black. But Elektra is not ready for the happiness, she struggles with the Agamemnon tree to Klytämnestra's bed, the power lies in the bed. She is clearly exhausted. But instead of having her die in the bed of mental exhaustion Orest has her killed with a machine gun. Two shots is heard, so when Orest is supposed to kill Chrysothemis with his second bullet, all Eva Batori can do is to drop dead with no sound.

The end ruined it, when Orest kills his sisters that does not make it a Real Greek Tragedy, but if his two sisters died just of exhausted minds when Orest should celebrate his triumph. THAT WOULD BE Greek Tragedy.

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November 23, 2007: Tosca in Vienna

2007-11-23 Tosca (G.Puccini), Wiener Staatsoper

Mario Cavaradossi = José Cura
Floria Tosca = Amarilli Nizza
Baron Scarpia = Marco Vratogna
Cesare Angelotti = Boaz Daniel
Der Mesner = Lars Woldt
Spoletta = Benedikt Kobel
Sciarrone = Clemens Unterreiner
Ein Schließer = Goran Simic

Paolo Carignani, conductor

Tosca with José Cura as Mario Cavaradossi.

Tosca no 517:
Inszenierung Margarethe Wallmann
Bühnenbild und Kostüme: Nicola Benois


I missed a great Scarpia, Ruggero Raimondi is always great as Scarpia. Amarilli Nizza was Ok as Tosca. Liked her Vissi d'arte. José Cura and the conductor was not always in agreement. Cura wanted to be faster. He was also acting in a way inconsistent with the times, Neapolitan time. This was a very traditional Tosca with beautiful settings. It was a beautiful E lucevan le stelle. The end duet Tosca/Cavaradossi was great (good). But Nizza could not help herself when she leaped from the castle one might have thought this was one of the first Tosca's in this production, very old fashioned (at least from the -50s). One arm raised....

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October 19, 2007: Elektra in Vienna

2007-10-19 Elektra (R.Strauss), Wiener Staatsoper

Klytämnestra = Agnes Baltsa
Elektra = Deborah Polaski
Chrysothemis = Silvana Dussmann
Aegisth = Michael Roider
Orest = Ain Anger
Pfleger des Orest = Wolfgang Bankl*
Vertraute = Zsuzsanna Szabó
Schleppträgerin = Daniela Denschlag*
junger Diener = Herwig Pecoraro
alter Diener = Marcus Pelz
Aufseherin = Waltraud Winsauer
1. Magd = Janina Baechle*
2. Magd = Zoryana Kushpler*
3. Magd = Sophie Marilley*
4. Magd = Ǻsa Elmgren
5. Magd = Caroline Wenborne

Michael Boder, conductor

Only Agnes Baltsa could make me see this opera and only AGNES BALTSA made it worth the time

Boring, boring, boring.... But Agnes Baltsa is GREAT. This opera needs so much, it is dark and so much monologue, beautiful music. Elektra is sung by Deborah Polaski, her voice is sometime too weak, the orchestra is heavy, and then where is the excitement the intense feeling, I did not feel it. Her sister is sung by Silvana Dussmann, and her we have a singer and actress who can transmit feelings. But it is Elektra who is supposed to outshine everybody else. Even the brother Orest sung by Ain Anger is more exciting and Aigist too (Michael Roider).

Agnes Baltsa as Klytämnestra is in a league of her own. She owns the stage, she is interesting, you see how this woman is totally crazy in her misunderstanding of it all.

But a great Elektra performance needs an Elektra who is shaking your world, here I did not find that. That Chrysothemis would outshine Elektra, what a concept...

But Klytämnestra is QUEEN!!!!!!! Hail, Agnes Baltsa! The Greek mezzo... DIVA

19. Oktober 2007



ELEKTRA
(51. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung)

Musikalische Leitung: Michael Boder
nach einer Inszenierung von: Harry Kupfer
Bühnenbild: Hans Schavernoch
Kostüme: Reinhard Heinrich
Chorleitung: Janko Kastelic


(* Rollendebüt an der Wiener Staatsoper)

Beginn: 20.00

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September 23, 2007: Fledermaus in Berlin

2007-09-23 Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauß), Komische Oper Berlin

Gabriel von Eisenstein = Klaus Kuttler
Rosalinde = Gun-Brit Barkmin
Frank = Martin Winkler
Prinz Orlofsky = Karolina Gumos
Alfred = Christoph Späth
Dr. Falke = Günter Papendell
Dr. Blind = Thomas Ebenstein
Adele = Natalie Karl
Ida = Saskia Krispin
Frosch = Peter Renz

Die Fledermaus



Komische Operette in drei Akten von Johann Strauß
Libretto von Richard Genée
So | 23.09.2007 | 19:00 Uhr
Premiere



Weitere Aufführungen ..

09. | 25. | 30. September
06. | 06. | 14. Oktober
02. | 17. | 28. November
04. | 13. | 14. | 18. | 23. | 25. | 31. Dezember
13. Januar
27. | 27. Juli

Musikalische Leitung ... Markus Poschner
Inszenierung ... Andreas Homoki
Ausstattung ... Wolfgang Gussmann
Chöre ... Robert Heimann
Lichtgestaltung ... Franck Evin



The Critics were not convinced by this production. "Too much laughs on the stage, not so much from the audience". The Regisseur has taken the operetta too serious, not enough Champagner-sprudl, only Sekt (no real Champagne).

First I loved it then I didn't. Intermission between act 2 and 3 said the program. But in reality it was in the middle of act 2. Which did in a way make sense and too the ball room from the drunken mind of Eisenstein was also a good idea. But then the prison scene was still a ballroom with all the furniture fallen down, it did not make sense. The newspapers did not like how Frosch was reduced to a nobody, no good comedy/comedian there. And the end was too cynic for an operetta. With Adele back as a chamber maid and Eisenstein to jail and Rosalinde with her Alfredo having supee at Eisenstein home. Too cynic.

The Orlofsky was just someone from the opera ballet dressed up to be a nobleman from Russia. Adele was just a joke to the people at this "ball". This was supposed to be a more tradional Fledermaus but really it was still REGIE-Theater where the regisseur just impose his ideas to an opera/operetta.

Singing was good. They were not really good in dialogue, could not hear every word. Acting good. But this was an operetta without brio...

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August 11, 2007: Nabucco in Bergen, Norway

2007-08-11 Nabucco (G. Verdi), Vest Norges Opera (Bergen)

Nabucco = Anooshah Golesorkhi
Ismaele = Johann Valdimarson
Zaccaria = Vadim Lynkovsky
Abigaille = Anna Shafajinskaia
Fenena = Charlotte Paulsen
High Priest of Belo = Silvio Riccardi
Abdallo = Geir Morvik
Anna = Sylvia Skeie Vik

Anne Randine Øverby, conductor



SUMMER OPERA 2007

Giuseppe Verdi
Nabucco

Open air at Bergenhus Castle
August 11, 14, 16, 18, at 21:30

Stage director: Bruno Berger Gorski
Conductor: Anne Randine Øverby
Sets: Opera Bergen
VNO's Orchestra
Bergen Opera Choir

What is the difference between Verona, Italy and Bergen, Norway? That's easy, weather. Warm and nice in Verona /cold and windy in Bergen. Same opera, though, Verdi's Nabucco, different singers etc.

This time another wonderful Abigaille, a joy to listen to and her acting was tops. I think our Nabucco had a cold, no wonder, he was in Bergen singing outdoors with not the warmest costume. A wonderful actor and singer he is, as always. Ismaele weak, but OK. Fenena wonderful voice, acted well enough. Zaccaria was a young bass who sang better as the evening progressed. Orchestra and chorus was OK, but in Nabucco they were to few to really get the Forte/Fortissimo going. Va, pensiero was the best part, but being so few people in the chorus it was amazing how well they did it. (Keep in mind that I am comparing this to Arena di Verona's NABUCCO with a huge chorus and orchestra and Nucci and Guleghina in the big roles)

The Production of Nabucco, a non-changing scene used very well. We were at Bergenhus Castle and the small space was used admirably. The director had once again created an opera based on a color scheme, nothing wrong with that necessarily. Hebrew color was blood-red and black was the Assyrian color. The crown was a gold-colored laptop. (OK when you do not expect anybody to understand Italian or the plot, no?) There were several laptops in the opera, never clear what they were there for but they had something to do with Nabucco and his followers (and Abigaille). Abigaille was hailed as Queen via mobile phones. So this was a modernization of Nabucco. Luckily the singing made sense. But there was a misunderstanding of the plot, Vieni O Levita, that was when Fenena converts to Judaism, was sung without Fenena, they thought Zaccaria was making himself boss over the Hebrew but in Nabucco he is already the most distinguished Hebrew.

So was the director making his own opera? Maybe.

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June 30, 2007: La Boheme in Verona

2007-06-30 La Boheme (Puccini), Arena di Verona

Rodolfo = Marcello Giordani
Mimì = Tamar Iveri
Marcello = Gabriele Viviani
Musetta = Donata D'Annunzio Lombardi
Colline = Marco Spotti
Alcindoro = Angelo Nardinocchi
Schaunard = Fabio Previati
Benoit = Graziano Polidori
Parpignol = Carlo Bosi
A customs official = Federico Longhi

Lü Jia, conductor



La Bohème


Opera in 4 acts by
Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa e Luigi Illica

opera and synopsis


Arena
30 June 2007 at 21.15
Season Tickets


Principal Conductor Lü Jia
Director Arnaud Bernard
Scenographer William Orlandi
Costume Designer William Orlandi
Choir Master Marco Faelli
Lighting Designer Paolo Mazzon
Director of stage design Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia



Orchestra, Chorus and technicians
from the Arena di Verona

Another fine day in Verona, Italy. Problem with Arena di Verona and La Boheme, is that the stage is huge, and that this opera is more of a intimate romance. Of course act 2 is a great, big scene with lots of people. But this problem was a Zeffirelli-like production, huge and the little people got lost. Not being able to find out right a way Rodolfo and Mimi was a disappointment. Zeffirelli would not have made that fault, I believe. he would have a way to highlight the important people in the opera. Act 1 + 4, all action in a tiny bit of the stage, in the middle. But the Arena is so big why did the director not make the attic of the artists, Marcello and Rodolfo, huge using most of the arena stage area.

Other problems was for me all the circus of act2, people blowing fires from their mouth. Just a show that made it difficult to get the real operatic action... And act 3, very bad, hated the bicycles thing. Here we are supposed to see peasant woman at the customs controlling their bread, milk cans etc. The bicycling was just a circus thing... And act 4, when the guys are pretending to be at a ball. Here they were not dancing, they were drying up laundry and playing with that, Gavotta, Pavanella, Fandango... no dance.

The singers, orchestra was all great and the production was not all bad, just not quite right and Arena was not the right place.

OD Travel + Photos

Original blog post

June 29, 2007: Nabucco in Verona

2007-06-29 Nabucco (Verdi), Arena di Verona

Nabucco = Leo Nucci
Ismaele = Fabio Sartori
Zaccaria = Carlo Colombara
Abigaille = Maria Guleghina
Fenena = Nino Surguladze
High Priest of Belo = Carlo Striuli
Abdallo = Carlo Bosi
Anna = Patrizia Cigna

Daniel Oren, conductor



Nabucco


Dramma lirico in 4 acts by
Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Temistocle Solera

opera and synopsis


Arena
29 June 2007 at 21.15
Season Tickets


Principal Conductor Daniel Oren
Director Denis Krief
Scenographer Denis Krief
Costume Designer Denis Krief
Choir Master Marco Faelli
Director of the Corps de Ballet Maria Grazia Garofoli
Lighting Designer Paolo Mazzon
Director of stage design Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia

Orchestra, Chorus and technicians
from the Arena di Verona

Now Nabucco. Not the same production as two years ago. Leo Nucci was also then Nabucco and Susan Neves was Abigaille. Disappointment, two-fold; the production in 2005 was better, and my seat was better: I could hear better then, and no-one was talking during the show. Having read some review of the production with their pointing out disappointment towards Carlo Colombara and Maria Guleghina, they loved Leo Nucci, of course... so I knew something. And it was announced at the loud-speaker, that Colombara although slightly ill he was still singing. And you could tell he was not in top form but he was steadily better. Maria Guleghina was also weak sounding, but I think that was because of my seat. Had I been sitting in Poltronissimo God section and not (just) poltronissimo then I think my feeling had been better about this production, but I would still have found the ballet thing stupid and wondering why did they put such a boring costume on the wonderful soprano, Maria Guleghina. Fenena and Anna got something beautiful to wear. White for Fenena, red for Anna, but for Abigaille, dark earth colors.

And then singers did not come out where I was standing.

Must have more Maria Guleghina live. Especially as Abigaille....

OD Travel + Photos

Original blog post

June 9, 2007: Tosca in Oslo

2007-06-09 Tosca (G. Puccini), Den Norske Opera

Floria Tosca = Inga Nielsen
Mario Cavaradossi = Salvatore Licitra
Scarpia = Sergei Leiferkus
Sakristanen = Yngve André Søberg
Angelotti = Knut Stiklestad
Sciarrone = Markus Kvits
Spoletta = Svein Erik Sagbråten



Illustrasjon
TOSCA
Opera i 3 akter av Giacomo Puccini
- Libretto: V. sardou, L. Illica, G. Giacosa

Repertoar


Sesongpremiere: 31/5
Øvrige spilledatoer: 2/6, 4/6, 6/6, 9/6
Spilletid: ca 2 t og 30 min
Fremføres på italiensk
Norske overtekster

Musikalsk ledelse: Keri-Lynn Wilson (not?)
Regi: Per E. Fosser
Scenografi/kostymer: Lubos Hruza
Kormester: Steffen Kammler

Wonderful Tosca performance. One of the best Tosca inszenierungen. With a standing ovation in the end. Mostly for Salvatore Licitra's singing and acting that was outstanding. Inga Nielsen who was singing Tosca was best in act 2+3, but even in act 1 she was a wonderful actress in her encounters with both Cavaradossi and Scarpia. In act 2 her voice had even more command and she was very much a believable Tosca with a wonderful Vissi d'arte. Sergei Leiferkus who was a wonderful Jago in Munich was less in command in act 1 but a totally believable Scarpia in act 2. Salvatore Licitra was simply the best Cavaradossi!!!

OD Travel

Original blog post

May 10, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-10 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold = Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Mark Elder, conductor



Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs


Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

Last performance, not only for me, but for the whole cast. And this one; was it the best? All I can say it that it is really amazing to see that for every performance new things happens, new inspirations. WOW. Amazing. Finally I can say Sondra, you have no longer a diction problem and I kind of like your voice now, and find you wonderful as an actress. But you know, Catherine Malfitano is my preferred Lina, and I have her on DVD, so, I am OK. In this performance we really know, because we saw it, Lina and Raffaele is really, how do you put it, "hot together" ?. So the duet Lina / Raffaele which is so hard to get to make it natural, they did that, Sondra and Reinaldo Macias. Amazing... BRAVI!! and the duets Stiffelio/Lina, wow, fantastic. Anyone would have been scared stiff with Jose Cura's Stiffelio completely raging mad almost violent. FANTASTIC. And when Stiffelio took of his wedding ring in act 2. And to see him almost completely crushed when listening to Lina. And on this last night, we were so close to maybe Stiffelio would reach out to his wife. Soooooo close. But he was crushed .... GREAT, FANTASTIC...

And if you think that I regret seeing STIFFELIO three times, no way.... (of course all JCx members understand this kind of operamania)

OD Travel + Photos

Blog post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-10)

May 8, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-08 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold =
Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Mark Elder, conductor



Stiffelio
The Royal Opera 2006/7


* 20 Apr 07, 7.30 PM
* 23 Apr 07, 7.30 PM
* 02 May 07, 7.30 PM
* 05 May 07, 7.00 PM
* 08 May 07, 7.30 PM
* 10 May 07, 7.30 PM


Background

Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs


Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

Fourth came May 8th, Stiffelio in London with Jose Cura as Stiffelio. As asked previously, why 3 times Stiffelio, the answer is to get the BEST performance. And as being before the last performance, May 10th, this was it. The BEST. Here I was overwhelmed, Jose Cura etc was great. This was not the same performance, the acting was quite different. Sondra was better,but the lack of proper pronunciation was turning me off. I have never heard a singer not being able to sing MADRE, with all the letters, Sondra sang ..ADRE. Of course we have subtitles now, so we can read it in English was she was singing. But really When you know the text as I do, it is terrible not be able to hear a professional opera singer sing the words.I am not talking about the high notes, as I understand that might be asking too much. But, oh, dear Sondra, please be better in the future.

OD Travel + Photos
Blog Post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-08)

May 7, 2007: Master Class Concert in Devon

2007-05-07 Masterclass Concert, New Devon Opera
Jose Cura, Igor Bogaert, Paul Featherstone,.Rebecca Ivey, Christian Schleicher, Anja Rossau, Carthaig Quill, Laura Hudson, Benjamin Bevan, Amar Muchala, Sarah Estil, Tyrone Piper, Suzanne Manuell, Lorna Collins, Diana Vivian, Debra Morley
Susanna Stranders, piano



Part 1
01. Igor Bogaert: Prolog, from PAGLIACCI (Leoncavallo)
02. Amar Muchala: Una furtiva lagrima, from L'ELISIR D'AMORE (Donizetti)
03. Lorna Collins: Voi lo sapete, from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA (Mascagni)
04. Sarah Estill: La mamma morta, from ANDREA CHENIER (Giordano)
05. Paul Featherstone: Ch'ella mi creda, from LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST (Puccini)
06. Rebecca Ivey: Quando m'en vo', from LA BOHEME (Puccini)
07. Carthaig Quill: Dei miei bollenti spiriti, from LA TRAVIATA (Verdi)
08. Anja Rossau: A fors' e lui, from LA TRAVIATA (Verdi) + Jose Cura

Part 2
09. Diana Vivian: Vissi d'arte, from TOSCA (Puccini)
10. Suzanne Manuell: Un bel di vedremo, from MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Puccini)
11. Tyrone Piper: E la solita storia del pastore, from L'ARLESIANA (Cilea)
12. Laura Hudson: Sola, perduta, abbandonata, from MANON LESCAUT (Puccini)
13. Christian Schleicher: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz, from LAND OF SMILES (Lehar)
14. Debra Morley: The Owl and the Pussycat (Seiber)
15. Benjamin Bevan (and Jose Cura): Son io, mio Carlo, from DON CARLO (Verdi)


Third came May 7th, concert with the 15 master class students in Devon. Glorious singing and some signs that some still need more to really be great in concert and opera. The German tenor singing operetta was surely needing more years of learning the craft if he is going to the opera, but surely he was communicating and maybe it will be in operetta musicals his work will be. There was a great difference between singers that were truly in the skin of their characters, and then there were those still not finding out how to act, what to do with my arms...

And then there was Benjamin Bevan, not only the most beautiful baritone voice, but surely a great singer/actor as Roderigo di Posa. WOW, what a fantastic death scene, this was really the whole scene Roderigo/Don Carlo from Son io, mio Carlo to Per me giunto il di supremo/O Carlo, ascolta, and we even got Jose Cura as Don Carlo. WOW, it was the perfect end of this concert.

The program was beautifully put. With the Dutch baritone doing the prolog from Pagliacci beginning the concert, and as end of act 1 with Danish soprano singing the whole Violetta scene at the end of La Traviata act 1. And the program ended, most operatically, with someone's death. GREAT.

OD Travel + Photos

Blog post: May 2007: Masterclass Concert in Devon (2007-05-07)

May 6, 2007: Jose Cura Master Class in Devon

2007-05-06 Masterclass with Jose Cura, New Devon Opera

Second came May 6th, Master class in Devon, Jose-Cura-wise. I told every-one about the great fare I got on the National Express bus to Devon and back (It cost me 2 GBP all-together). But after my long travel with bus London-Devon-London, I can say I would have been better off with the train, shorter ride and I am sure more comfortable. So cheap is not everything...

As usual it took me a long time to find the hotel, a max 10 minutes walk took me 50 minutes. And that was hot when walking with a suit-case (luckily with wheels) and a backsack. As I have a tendency of getting head-aches I got one or two in Devon. Then the event of the evening, Master Class with Jose Cura. 15 gifted singers and Jose Cura. Not the usual master class, this was just a highlight class filled with photo-slides from the real master classes. We got a lot of Jose Cura talking about how the singers had developed. And some singing and tutoring from Jose. When they was on the right track he stopped them, to tell us we will get the rest as the concert tomorrow.

Students: Igor Bogaert, Paul Featherstone,.Rebecca Ivey, Christian Schleicher, Anja Rossau, Carthaig Quill, Laura Hudson, Benjamin Bevan, Amar Muchala, Sarah Estil, Tyrone Piper, Suzanne Manuell, Lorna Collins, Diana Vivian, Debra Morley
Susanna Stranders, piano

OD Travel

Blog post: May 2007: Masterclass in Devon (2007-05-06)

May 5, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-05 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold =
Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Christopher Willis, conductor



Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs

Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

First came May 5th, Stiffelio in London ROH with Jose Cura, Sondra Radvanovsky and
Roberto Frontali. Before going to London I had read the reviews, almost all complaining of the singing being to LOUD etc. What I found as being the truth in London on May 5th that yes, Sondra Radvanovsky has a big voice and that indeed I could hear her better than the other singers. But that this was just a competition of loud singing, it was not, not on May 5th, I cannot say for the previous performances since I was not there. Roberto Frontali as Stankar was good, but in my opinion he was not the only good singer her as many of the reviewer was saying. May 5th performance was not the greatest Stiffelio. Jose Cura was good but in my opinion he was over-acting, Sondra Radvanovsky as Lina was crying too much, too often, and I did not like her singing much and her lack of pronunciation of the Italian text was appalling. As I said Frontali was Ok. Reinaldo Macias as Raffaele did not cut such a great figure here as in Zurich. He was pale here.

OD Travel + Photos

Blog post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-05)

April 18, 2007: Die Lustige Witwe in Oslo

2007-04-18 Die Lustige Witwe (F. Lehàr), Den Norske Opera
Hanna Glawari = Solveig Kringlebotn
Grev Danilo Danilovitsch = Kjell Magnus Sandve
Valencienne = Ina Kringlebotn
Camille de Rosillon = Marius Roth Christensen
Baron Zeta = Thor Inge Falch
Njegus = Torill Eriksen

Alfred Eschwé, conductor



DIE LUSTIGE WITWE
Operetta in 3 acts by Franz Lehár
Libretto by Victor & Leon Stein


Premiere: 18/4
Days of performance: 19/4, 21/4, 22/4, 23/4, 24/4, 25/4, 26/4, 30/4, 2/5, 3/5, 5/5
Duration: app. 2 h 45 min
Sung in Norwegian

Conductor: Alfred Eschwé
Directors: Ronald Rørvik/Stuart Hopps/ Toralv Maurstad
Choreography : Stuart Hopps
Set design/ Costumes: John-Kristian Alsaker
Lightning design: Hans-Åke Sjöquist
Choir: Steffen Kammler

Dancers
The Norwegian National Opera's Choir and Orchestra





Sung in Norwegian, OK, I am Norwegian, so it's OK. Dialogue in Norwegian, that's OK too, of course. And subtitles, great. But no subtitles when the dialogue is on. WHY ? And when the director decide that opera singers are going to speak naturally, not with opera voices and great diction, that's idiocy. Could not hear the dialogue well at all, and with no subtitles that mean a lot of information is lost. And Operetta usually have a lot more dialogue than your average opera. Stupid decision, annoying...

If the singing and the rest had been great then I would have forgiven it. Aunt and niece Kringlebotn in an operetta. I expected Aunt Solveig to be better than niece Ina. But Valencienne was better than Hanna Glawari. Kjell Magnus Sandve used to have a beautiful tenor voice but in the operetta his voice was not really there... Best acting and singing was Torill Eriksen as Njegus. The veteran mezzo as Hanna would have been wonderful. I think that maybe Hanna Glawari should be sung by a mezzo soprano...

The singers took a long time to warm up. Especially Solveig Kringlebotn and Kjell Magnus Sandve.

It is difficult to make an operetta work, especially in our modern time.

Weak.. Sad, really.

OD Travel

Original blog post: April 2007: Die Lustige Witwe in Oslo (2007-04-18)