January 30, 2010: Nabucco in Zurich

2010-01-30 Nabucco (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Nabucco = Juan Pons
Ismaele = Boiko Zvetanov
Zaccaria = Carlo Colombara
Abigaille = Maria Guleghina
Fenena = Stefania Kaluza
High Priest of Belo = Cheyne Davidson
Abdallo = Miroslav Christoff
Anna = Liuba Chuchrova

Nello Santi, conductor

NABUCCO by Giuseppe Verdi. Maria Guleghina was a fantastic Abigaille. Juan Pons was suddenly much thinner but still made a great Nabucco. Boiko Zvetanov was looking like a small Dennis O'Neill. But he was great as Ismaele. One could easily forget his heavy and small look and understand why two women were in love with him. Stefania Kaluza was singing Fenena, she was great in the ensembles, duets, etc. but strangely did not make such a great impression in her aria. Chorus was great. Nello Santi conducted.

Obviously Jonathan Miller had been thinking too much about history. Would really the women and men be separated when they were about to be executed.

Inszenierung
Jonathan Miller

Ausstattung
Isabella Bywater

Lichtgestaltung
Hans-Rudolf Kunz

Choreinstudierung
Jürg Hämmerli


Orchester der Oper Zürich

Chor der Oper Zürich

OD Travel + Photos

OD Travel - January: Nabucco and travel from Zurich

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

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)

OD Travel + Photos