November 6, 2005: Le Villi in Vienna

2005-11-06 Le Villi (Puccini), Wiener Staatsoper

Roberto = José Cura
Anna = Krassimira Stoyanova
Guglielmo Wulf = Franz Grundheber

Simone Young, conductor

Le villi
(6. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung)

Dirigentin: Simone Young
Inszenierung: Karoline Gruber
Ausstattung: Johan Engels
Licht: Patrick Woodroffe
Bewegungsregie: Beate Vollack
Choreinstudierung: Ernst Dunshirn



Karoline Gruber makes this opera into a kitchy Tirolean story. Very much about women doing the housework and men drinking beer. Luckily it is not totally ruined thanks to Cura, Stoyanova and Grundheber. One good idea the use of the Villis is very effective. Puccini's music is much better than this so-called inszenierung makes it.

OD Travel + Photos

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com

September 21, 2013: Giovanna d'Arco in Bilbao

2013-09-21 Giovanna d'Arco (Verdi), Palacio Euskalduna (Bilbao)

Giovanna d'Arco = Krassimira Stoyanova
Carlos VII = Alejandro Roy
Giacomo = Claudio Sgura*
Talbot = Miguel Ángel Zapater
Delil = Eduardo Ituarte

Yves Abel, conductor
Euskadiko Orkestra Sinfonikoa
Coro de Ópera de Bilbao

Regie - Gabriele Lavia
Scenography - Alessandro Camera
Costumes - Andrea Viotti
Light design - Boris Dujin

Production from Teatro Regio di Parma


*Debuta en ABAO-OLBE

GIOVANNA D'ARCO in Bilbao 2013-09-21
What a difference from Otello in Vienna to Giovanna d'Arco in Bilbao? In Vienna we had a modern production that unfortunately did not make sense even with Shakespeare and Boito together for the drama. In Bilbao we had a traditional production of Giovanna d'Arco.


Yves Abel conducted the opera. Giovanna d'Arco is an opera with some glorious music but that was hard to hear in Bilbao. The ouverture was sloppy and the opera seemed to be on and off during the evening. Claudio Sgura was not only literally taller than all but also figuratively speaking. Krassimira Stoyanova was a wonderful Giovanna but I did not feel that she was supported enough by the orchestra/conductor. Alejandro Roy as the King started the opera with a big scene and aria. He became better and better during the performance.

It was a beautiful production that was as historically correct as an opera can be. Historical correct costumes can be too much for modern sensibilities. It was a really good workmanship this production, but perhaps not the most exciting one. Can Giovanna d'Arco be better?


During the evening there was  coughing, coughing everywhere and often in the most sensitive moments. Not to mention the person that made some loud deep clensing from the nose and down, and not once. But that can be how live opera is. Great onstage but annoying audience. Not all the audience, but still...

OD Travel & Photos
Original blog post

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com

June 27, 2003: Carmen in Vienna

2003-06-27 Carmen (G. Bizet), Wiener Staatsoper

Carmen = Agnes Baltsa
Don José = Julian Gavin
Escamillo = Ildar Abdrazakov
Micaëla = Krassimira Stoyanova
Frasquita = Simina Ivan
Mercédès = Cornelia Salje
Zuniga = Goran Simic
Moralès = Yu Chen
Remendado = Walter Pauritsch
Dancaïro = Hans Peter Kammerer
Lillas Pastia = Csaba Markovits

Vjekoslav Sutej, conductor



Wiener Staatsoper
freitag, 27. juni 2003
113. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Carmen
Oper in vier Akten von Henri Meilhac und Ludovic Halévy nach einer Novelle von Prosper Mérimée
Musik von Georges Bizet

Dirigent Vjekoslav Sutej
Inszenierung und
Bühnenbild Franco Zeffirelli
Kostüme Leo Bei
Choreographie Rafael de Cordova
Chorleitung Ernst Dunshirn
.,

Tänze Patricia Sollak
Rudolf Wächter
Christoph Wenzel
und das Corps de ballet

23 degree Celsius. Life is good. I meet another Baltsa fan in Arcadia Opera Shop, she is working there. 16.30 Edita Gruberova Autogramm-stunde in Arcadia.

I got just in time (1500) for a Guided Tour in the Staatsoper, it was not my first time. But I enjoyed it nevertheless. In Staatsoper, it was Edita-Gruberova-Austellung in Gustav-Mahler-saal, we saw the Carmen-scenery in the audience. And the tour ended in Arcadia Opera Shop, I stood in line for an autograph, bought the Lucia di Lammermoor with Gruberova/Josep Bros so she could have something to write on. I took photos, of course. A hot day for Gruberova to sit inside, they had to open more doors, and stand garde so no one would enter the shop that way.

Then it was Carmen with Agnes Baltsa and Julian Gavin. 1900-2215. I guess I was not in the mood to be overwhelmed. It was a very good, but not great performance. I love this opera, and Baltsa as Carmen is always special. But anyway the audience loved it. The performance was not exactly the same as the last time, I guess Julian Gavin took
some of his Carmen-expericed from Zurich with him. Agnes Baltsa did her death-scene differently, it was very effective. Julian Gavin was OK as Don Jose, I would have loved a better pronunciation of the French when speaking, but also in singing. You had to know what Don Jose was saying, if you didn´t you got lost. Agnes Baltsa was always clear in her pronunciation, if I knew the French language better I would know if it was pronounced correctly. But for my ears it was correct.Beside this Carmen is wild, her pronunciation should not be terribly correct. Krassimira Stoyanova was embraced by the Vienna audience. And this Escamillo, Ildar Abdrakov was great. I loved the
sweet soprano voice of Simina Ivan (Frasquita).

I stood long in line to wait for Agnes Baltsa, by 2300 I had to go to Westbahnhof since my train was leaving 23.25, and I had to collect my luggage first, too. Then I saw the sign, 40 min's late change to 55 and in the to 120 min's. Had I known this I could have waited longer for Baltsa, and maybe Baltsa would have come, or maybe not. So it was over 0100 when the train came to Vienna Westbahnhof.

OD Travel + Photos

May 3, 2015: Neil Shicoff Gala in Vienna

2015-05-03 Neil Shicoff Gala, Wiener Staatsoper

NEIL SHICOFF - 40 JAHRE BÜHNE

Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Jacques Offenbach) – Prolog 
Hoffmann: Neil Shicoff
Lindorf: Paolo Rumetz
Nicklausse: Stephanie Houtzeel
Andres: Thomas Ebenstein
Luther: Marcus Pelz
Hermann: Clemens Unterreiner
Nathanael: Carlos Osuna

Pique Dame (Peter I. Tschaikowski) – 2. Akt, 2. Szene 
Hermann: Neil Shicoff
Lisa: Krassimira Stoyanova
Gräfin: Anja Silja
Mascha: Hyuna Ko 

La Juive (Jacques Fromental Halévy) – 4. Akt
Eléazar: Neil Shicoff
Kardinal Brogni: Ferruccio Furlanetto
Rachel: Krassimira Stoyanova
Eudoxie: Simina Ivan

Carmen (Georges Bizet) – 4. Akt 
Carmen: Elena Maximova
Don José: Neil Shicoff
Escamillo: Clemens Unterreiner
Frasquita: Simina Ivan
Mercédès: Juliette Mars

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor

What a disappointment, coming to Neil Shicoff 's Gala and no Agnes Baltsa as Carmen to his Don Jose. From the greatest Don Carlo of Rolando Villazon et co. in Berlin. Had I known that Baltsa would not sing I would have seen Don Carlo for the 2nd time on this day instead I got the cold in Vienna and Neil Shicoff.

Having just seen Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Rolando Villazon in a great production seeing the prolog was nothing much. Shicoff can act and sing, but he is not my guy.

Pique Dame - Shicoff was great as Hermann. Anja Silja was not that audible. Krassimira Stoyanova was having an Off day, or maybe it was just that I was OFF.

Interval

La Juive - not the whole end but we got the Aria from Eleazar. Simina Ivan and Krassimira Stoyanova could have been the Duet of the Ages but they had aged since I saw them in the of Eudoxie and Rachel. Ferruccio Furlanetto as Brogni, he only gets better with age but then he is a bass.

CARMEN - the end
Elena Maximova is the new CARMEN on the block. Neil Shicoff acts but he is no Carreras, Domingo, Cura & Alvarez. Clemens Unterreiner was Escamillo and a good, solid one.

Frederic Chaslin conducted it all.

Then  when we thought it was over we got 45 minutes or so with speaches. Shicoff ended it with his I am so nervous, the most nervous if them all. The audience gives us the energy not the other way around. And thank god for my wife, Dawn Kotoski.


And I am still not cured. Kleenex forever!!!

OD Travel & Photos
Original blog post

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com If you want to see more photos from my OperaDuets Travels, go to www.operaduetsphotos.com