March 4, 2000: Luisa Miller in Zurich

2000-03-04 Luisa Miller (G. Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Graf von Walter = Laszlo Polgar
Rodolfo = Neil Shicoff
Federica = Stefania Kaluza
Wurm = Carlos Chausson
Miller = Giorgio Zancanaro
Luisa Miller = Elena Mosuc
Federica = Stefania Kaluza

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor



lnszenierung DANIELE ABBADO
Regiemitarbeit BORIS STETKA
Bühnenbild DANTE FERRETTI
Bühnenbildmilarbeit LEllA FTEITA
Kostüme GABRIEllA PESCUCCI,
FLORA BRANCATEllA
Lichtgeslaltung JÜRGEN HOFFMANN
Filmbilder LUCA SCARZEllA
Chor JÜRG HÄMMERLl

Verdi: Luisa Miller
Opernhaus Zurich, March 4,


After Millers great aria in act 1 on man cried "Bravo, Giorgio!"

Stefania Kaluza was great as Federica, a comprimario role, she always have an imposing presence. Laszlo Polgar was in magnificent voice. Wurm was in good hands and voice, Carlos Chausson. Neil Shicoff was a dream for his fans, but unfortunately not for me. Elena Mosuc was a charming Luisa, but I felt that something was missing.

Wonderful to be able to see Luisa Miller live anyway. Love Verdi! and Opernhaus Zürich!

OD Travel

Better listening, a better Luisa & Rodolfo
from AllegroMusic Opera d'Oro with Katia Ricciarelli and José Carreras.

Or Deutsche Grammophon's Luisa Miller with Katia Ricciarelli and Plácido Domingo.

November 12, 1999: La Juive in Vienna

1999-11-12 La Juive (L. Halèvy), Wiener Staatsoper

Eléazar = Neil Shicoff
Rachel = Soile Isokoski
Prinzessin Eudoxie = Regina Schörg
Kardinal Brogni = Alastair Miles
Léopold = Zoran Todorovich
Ruggiero = István Gáti
Albert = Janusz Monarcha

Simone Young, conductor

Neil Shicoff in the role of his life as Eleazar.
La Juive, Christians and Juive separated in one city. The production shows the segregation with colors, White for Christians, Black for Jews. The colors are not saying that the Christians are innocent in the hatred and violence. The stage is also segregated. It is beautiful music and a production that make you think.

Only one thing I want to tell the opera directors, let opera unfold to tell the story. Just open it up, new and fresh. (like one did with La Juive)

Wiener Staatsoper
freitag, 12. november 1999
6. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

La Juive
Oper in fünf Akten Textbuch von Eugène S'cribe
In französischer Sprache mit deutschen Übertiteln
Musik von Promental Halévy

Musikalische Leitung, Simone Young
Inszenierung Günter Krämer
Bühnenbild und
Kostüme Gottfried Pilz und
Isabel Ines Glathar
Choreinstudierung Ernst Dunshirn


1 Bürger Hacik Bayvertian
2 Bürger Martin Thyringer
OffizierMartin Müller
-
Orchester und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper Bühnenorchester der Wiener Staatsoper Eleven der Ballettschule der Wiener Staatsoper

OD Travel

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

October 24, 1998: Tosca in Zurich

1998-10-24 Tosca (Puccini), Opernhaus Zurich

Floria Tosca = Daniela Dessì
Mario Cavaradossi = Neil Shicoff
Baron Scarpia = Ruggero Raimondi
Cesare Angelotti = Jacob Will
Il Sagrestano = Martin Zysset
Sciarrone = Rolf Haunstein
Un carceriere = Peter Kalman

Marcello Viotti, conductor

Daniela Dessi was a superb Tosca, everything, her acting, her voice was great.I was really swept away with this great actress-singer. Neil Shicoff was Cavaradossi, he too was good. Ruggero Raimondi was a great Scarpia.

Musikalische Leitung MARCELLO VIOTTI
Inszenierung ULRICH PETER
Ausstattung HUBERT MONLOUP
Lichtgestaltung JAKOB SCHLOSSSTEIN
Chor JÜRG HÄMMERLI


Hirt NATALIE ZAGODA, REBECCA RÜEGGER
CHOR DES OPERNHAUSES ZÜRICH ZUSATZCHOR OPERNHAUS ZÜRICH KINDERCHOR DES OPERNHAUSES ZÜRICH
STATISTENVEREIN AM OPERNHAUS
ORCHESTER DER OPER ZÜRICH
Violoncello-SoloCLAUDIUS HERRMANN

Ort und Zeit der Handlung: Rom, Juni 1800

Musikalische Assistenz
und Einstudierung KELLY THOMAS, HERVE MAHE,
LODOVICO ZOCCHE Abendspielleitung und
Regieassistenz ULRICH SENN
Organisation und
Betreuung der llinder SUSY SIEGRIST
Inspizienz RUDOLF BUDAV ARY
Souffleur ADRIANO
Technische Leitung WERNER HUBER
Beleuchtung JÜRGEN HOFFMANN
Leiter des Ausstattungswesens BRUNO STUCKI

Samstag, 24. Oktober 1998Samstag-Abo
Pausen nach dem 1. und dem 2. Akt Beginn: 19.30 Uhr
Ende: ca. 22.15 Uhr

OD Travel

June 20, 2009: Tosca in Berlin

2009-06-20 Tosca (Puccini), Deutsche Oper Berlin

Floria Tosca = Maria Guleghina
Mario Cavaradossi = Neil Shicoff
Baron Scarpia = Franz Grundheber
Cesare Angelotti = Krzysztof Szumanski
Der Mesner = Roland Schubert
Spoletta = Jörg Schörner
Sciarrone = Hyung-Wook Lee
Ein Schließer = Tomislav Lucic

Emmanuel Villaume, conductor

Tuesday I got the news from Parsifal's blog, that Angela Gheorghiu canceled her Tosca in Berlin, and that Maria Guleghina was singing instead. So I bought tickets to the opera and air ticket for the travel. I am so lucky that the price was reasonable at Norwegian Air. Because Angela Gheorghiu was supposed to sing the price was 118 Euro. Really 120 Euros.

So thanks to Parsifal's was I in Berlin to see an extraordinarily fine performance. Maria Guleghina is a fine actress. The perfect Tosca. Neil Shicoff sang the role of Mario Cavaradossi ardently. His voice sounded like always only a little bit grainier. His Recondita armonia and E lucevan le stelle was applauded very much. Maria Guleghina sang a wonderful Vissi d'arte. Franz Grundheber was an excellent Baron Scarpia. He used his age to his advantage. As many older opera singers who have learnt how to use everything to their advantage even their faults, Grundheber know all about how to project the character via voice and gestures...

The production was Tosca, plain and simple. Tosca in Rome in the right historical time. But isn't it time that the sagrestano lets go of the hunchback and being some kind of comic relief. Luckily Roland Schubert who sang this role had a great sonorous voice. Loved his voice. Cesare Angelotti was sung by Krzysztof Szumanski, also a bass, acted well together with Neil Shicoff. Of course, the opera only took on form and real life when Maria Guleghina came in. Wonderful duet followed. After the Tosca in Vienna (April 25, 2009) I was interested in how Sciarrone and Spoletta was in this production. From Vienna I recall the Sciarrone but not Spoletta. Here there was a different interaction between Sciarrone and Spoletta was different, more competitive. I liked Jörg Schörner as Spoletta and Hyung-Wook Lee as Sciarrone. And Tomislav Lucic was a sympatric jailor. A perfect TOSCA!!!!

Sat, 20.06.2009, 19:30 h
duration: 2 hrs 45 mins | 2 intervals

D Category: 35,- | 60,- | 85,- | 118,- Ticket online kaufen
[A service fee of Euro 2,- per ticket will be charged]

Giacomo Puccini
Tosca
Melodramma in 3 acts
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on the drama LA TOSCA by Victorien Sardou
First performed on 14th January, 1900 in Rome
Premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 13th April, 1969

In Italian with German surtitles


conductor
Emmanuel Villaume

director
Boleslaw Barlog

stage-design, costume-design
Filippo Sanjust

chorus-master
William Spaulding




Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin

Knabe des Staats- und Domchores

Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin

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

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