February 28, 2004: I Puritani in Vienna

2004-02-28 I Puritani (Bellini), Wiener Staatsoper

Lord Gualtiero Valton = Goran Simic
Sir Giorgio = Alastair Miles
Lord Arturo Talbot = Joseph Calleja
Sir Riccardo Forth = Manuel Lanza
Sir Bruno Roberton = Benedikt Kobel
Enriquetta di Francia = Caitlin Hulcup
Elvira = Stefania Bonfadelli

Stefan Soltesz, conductor



I PURITANI
(Vincenzo Bellini)
WIEDERAUFNAHME
(36. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung)

Inszenierung: John Dew
Bühnenbild: Heinz Balthes
Kostüme: José Manuel Vazquez
Chorleitung: Ernst Dunshirn

After Signierstunde Carreras in Karajan Center it is time to see if my photos are ready. They are not. Back to the hotel to relax before the opera. I decide that I have time to go to Westbahnhof and to use the Internet café there, I do so. Then suddenly little time left. Unfortunately my irregularly eating have made my stomach uneasy. Luckily the Opera Toilette is there, and at the sound of Strauss I get "ready" for the opera. Hungry, feeling a bit sick and tired. But when I sit down and opera starts... the opera I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini... then I don't feel so sick and tired. I can enjoy it.

I saw this opera earlier with Gruberova as Elvira. I was disappointed when I heard that she was ill. Stefania Bonfadelli replaced her. Last time I saw Bonfadelli was as Lucia di Lammermoor. But this time I really was positively attracted to her voice. This time I heard this warm voice and she was adorable. After just a few moments I did not miss Gruberova at all. Joseph Calleja, the young Maltese tenor (only 24) was wonderful as Arturo. The music of Bellini also was a revelation to me.

And I must tell of the impact that the subtitling that we got in the Wiener Staatsoper. I sat there and just decided not to read the synopsis of the opera. Last time I saw Puritani I bought a Libretti and sat desperately reading it in the pauses. But now relaxed and just see the history evolve before my very eyes. It meant that I did not know the ending of the opera. At the beginning I did not know who was singing but that cleared up. Wonderful singing. MAGIC.

Colored light. I can understand the Red color when the king of England is beheaded, all the statues also beheaded with heads on one side of the stage, the bodies in the rear of the stage. Blood.
Orange. When Arturo and Elvira meets in the forest. I would have thought Green was better. There were other colors in the production, purple... But really it seemed often superficial. But the production was otherwise very good.

BRAVA!! BRAVO !! Bravissimo!!

OD Travel + Photos

June 22, 2005: I Puritani in Berlin

2005-06-22 I Puritani (Bellini), Deutsche Oper Berlin

Lord Gualtiero = Piér Dalàs
Sir Giorgio = Arutjun Kotchinian
Lord Arturo Talbo = Joseph Calleja
Sir Riccardo Forth = Franco Vassallo
Sir Bruno Robertson = Yosep Kang
Enrichetta ´di Francia = Cheri Rose Katz
Elvira = Edita Gruberova

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor



VINCENZO BELLINI :: DIE PURITANER
22. Juni 2005
Musikalische Leitung Frédéric Chaslin
Beginn: 19.30 Uhr


Spieldauer: 3:00 Std.
1. Akt: 75 Min.
2./3. Akt: 75 Min.

Pause
Pause [ca. 30 Min.]
nach dem 1. Akt




Inszenierung John Dew
Bühne Heinz Balthes
Kostüme José Manuel Vasquez
Chöre Ulrich Paetzholdt





A disappointment!!

A more heavy-voiced Puritani than in Vienna. Arutjun Kotchinian was an impressive and deep-voiced Sir Giorgio. Franco Vassallo was a great Sir Riccardo Forth although his voice was in my opinion too heavy for the role. Still Vassallo was a virtuous singer but a lighter voice would have been even better.

Edita Gruberova is of course a great singer and actress but her high notes was too shrill this time. Joseph Calleja, a great tenor promises but now his high notes was shrill and no so enjoyable as in Vienna. In all it seem to be more heavy-handed Puritani in Berlin. And when the opera ends like it does with a totally unwanted murder at the end, Arturo is killed by Riccardo which make it a very depressing opera indeed. The two lovers are saved only to have Arturo killed by Riccardo. But here we saw Riccardo falling on his knees after killing his rival, at the end he too is totally desperate; the rival is killed that no relief only desperation remains for him.

After Puritani Gruberova had Signierstunde in the opera house. I never found out where then but still I just wanted to go to the train station Zoologischer Garten and wait for my train to Munich and later Berlin. A long day was over I had traveled from Norway to Germany (with another flight that scheduled because my plane had left ahead of plan). And a few minutes later than scheduled my train arrived and left Berlin for Munich.

OD Travel + Photos