March 26, 2016: Pagliacci in Berlin

2016-03-26 Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Deutsche Oper Berlin

Canio = José Cura
Nedda = Carmen Giannattasio
Tonio = Mark Delavan
Beppo = Álvaro Zambrano
Silvio = John Chest

John Fiore, conductor
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Director - David Pountney
Stage design, Costume design - Robert Innes Hopkins
Choreographer - Silke Sense
Chorus Master - William Spaulding

Childrens Chorus - Christian Lindhorst

Just like in 2005 Jose Cura was Canio. In 2016 Jose Cura was even better. The singing was beautiful. Jose Cura may look older but he sings younger. The acting was great. He is truly a great Canio, I do long his Turriddu but this time JC could give everything to Canio because Jorge de Leon was Turriddu, Álvaro Zambrano as Beppe is just marvellous, he got everything the voice, acting and looks. Mark Delavan was Tonio. Great acting, weak voice compared to the others. But Pagliacci is all about acting.

Carmen Giannattasio was Nedda and since I don't care for Nedda I can only say she was good (she probably was amazing, but I don't like Nedda so,..). John Chest was Silvio. In another production I would probably say Bravo but here Silvio is a pathetic nerd, he is probably a Nedda stalker. And so the whole theater in theater gets another theatric layer and that it the whole Bajazzo thing is just a snare so that Canio can kill Silvio and just pretend to kill Nedda. La commedia e finita, but David Poutney ruins it when Canio can go away with Nedda. It nullifies it all.

Why should Pagliacci start with the dummy being cast down from the overhead to the road below and Mamma Lucia running to mourn her son. Hanno mazzato compare Turriddu! and the Prologue with Tonio. Why! The Funeral wagon with Mamma Lucia dragging it cross the stage during the Intermezzo. No! Why connect the opera together and then changes the whole stage into a theater stage. Stupid!


BUT Jose Cura was amazing!!!!!! BRAVO!!!!!

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

March 26, 2016; Cavalleria Rusticana in Berlin

2016-03-26 Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni), Deutsche Oper Berlin 

Santuzza = Elena Zhidkova
Turiddu = Jorge de León
Lucia = Ronnita Miller
Alfio = Mark Delavan
Lola = Stephanie Lauricella
Zwei Bauern = Robert Klöpper, Tomasz Rakocz


John Fiore, conductor
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Director - David Pountney
Stage design, Costume design - Robert Innes Hopkins
Choreographer - Silke Sense
Chorus Master - William Spaulding

Childrens Chorus - Christian Lindhorst

It was almost 11 years ago that I saw this production for the first time (2005-05-01) and I do not like it much. The singing was superb on this occacion. Jorge de Leon (Turriddu) and Elena Zhidkova (Santuzza) have the most amazing voices, strong, vibrant voices and the acting was also superb. Ronnita Miller who looked like a Mama from another show was the definitive Mamma Lucia. I found the whole opera Cavalleria Rusticana much more to my liking with this Mamma Lucia. She was so real, so touching and yes, totally believable. Lola was also very good. Mark Delavan was Alfio. His acting was all there but the voice was not up to the high power of rest of the cast which was a shame.

The production has its wonderful moments like the Mass with all the icons and the Hymn. The Lord is risen. The chorus was amazing and Elena Zhidkova was the high light and supported by the wonderful Mamma Lucia, Ronnita Miller. It was an OK production with an incredible cast. Or I should say the cast was very credible and real.


Worst moment was when Turridu is murdered and a doll was sent flying down and Reality just flew away. It was unbelievable, stupid and a crude moment.

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

September 18, 2005: Fanciulla del West in London

2005-09-18 La Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Royal Opera House, London

Minnie = Andrea Gruber
Dick Johnson (Ramirez) = José Cura
Jack Rance = Mark Delavan
Nick = Francis Egerton
Ashby = Robert Lloyd
Jake Wallace = Jonathan Lemalu
Sonora = Mark Stone
Bello = Grant Doyle
Happy = Jared Holt
Joe = Harry Nicoll
Larkens = Graeme Broadbent
Trin = Hubert Francis
Harry = Robert Murray
Sid = Adrian Clarke
José Castro = Jeremy White
Wowkle = Clare Shearer
Billy Jackrabbit = Graeme Danby

Antonio Pappano, conductor



La fanciulla del West

The Royal Opera 2005 - 2006

6:00 PM
18-Sep-05


Supported (2005) by The Jean Sainsbury Royal Opera House Fund

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Running time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Director: Piero Faggioni
Set Designs: Kenneth Adam
Costume Designs: Piero Faggioni
Lighting: Piero Faggioni



My seat was better but the performance on Thursday was better I felt. This was just a nice Ch'ella mi creda where as Thursday had more passion. Mark Delavan was perhaps a bit better, but everything hung by a thread, nearly getting things right. The weak point of this production seem not to observe the details closely. More faithfulness to Belasco's play would have been a pluss. Minnie's portrait was not true the a real woman of the West, too much girlishness and to little of the pioneer woman, a woman who sleeps with her gun. Andrea Gruber should have been perfect, after all she has sung Turandot, not Liu.

After the opera, we waited for the stars to get out. Andrea Gruber I saw, but no photos did I take, she was walking fast, and when she stopped there was too many people between us. Harry Nicoll and the man who sang Nick, the same. But Mark Delavan and Robert Lloyd got photographed. Then Jose Cura came, his wife and his son Jose Ben was waiting for him. So Cura was invited behind the glass to sit and autograph and getting photographed. Of course we were plenty people there almost all with cameras.

OD Travel + Photos

September 15, 2005: Fanciulla del West in London

2005-09-15 La Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Royal Opera House, London

Minnie = Andrea Gruber
Dick Johnson (Ramirez) = José Cura
Jack Rance = Mark Delavan
Nick = Francis Egerton
Ashby = Robert Lloyd
Jake Wallace = Jonathan Lemalu
Sonora = Mark Stone
Bello = Grant Doyle
Happy = Jared Holt
Joe = Harry Nicoll
Larkens = Graeme Broadbent
Trin = Hubert Francis
Harry = Robert Murray
Sid = Adrian Clarke
José Castro = Jeremy White
Wowkle = Clare Shearer
Billy Jackrabbit = Graeme Danby

Antonio Pappano, conductor



La fanciulla del West

The Royal Opera 2005 - 2006

7:00 PM
15-Sep-05

Supported (2005) by The Jean Sainsbury Royal Opera House Fund

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Running time: 3 hrs 30 mins

Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Director: Piero Faggioni
Set Designs: Kenneth Adam
Costume Designs: Piero Faggioni
Lighting: Piero Faggioni



§ Jette Parker Young Artist

I liked the production but I think the Zurich production (2004) was superior. Anyway the tenor was the same as in Zurich, and Jose Cura did a wonderful job. He had improved and proved that the role of Dick Johnson alias Ramirez is probably the ideal opera role for Jose Cura at this time. Just as it used to be for Plácido Domingo in the 1980s.

Andrea Gruber was a wonderful Minnie, superbly acted but not always vocally on the top of things, but it was a mere minor detail. Worse was it that Mark Delevan as Sheriff Jack Rance was so weak, a bit better in act 2 and act 3 but nothing as the menace that Juan Pons gave this role in Zurich 2004./ Jonathan Lemalu as Jack Wallace was a disappointment. Francis Egerton as Nick was acting wonderfully and was in beautiful voice the whole evening. Mark Stone made an Ok Sonora. Robert Lloyd was making Ashby almost a good role to do. Harry Nicoll as Joe was something I have a hard time remembering anything of, so unlike Zurich 2004 where Joe was quite poignant. It was a great chorus moment though.

It was a wonderful opera night. It started raining again, and to make matters worse it was a "premiere" party and so we couldn't stand there and just wait for how many hours to maybe see Jose Cura appear. It was a bit cold too. So we just went home...

OD Travel + Photos