December 14, 2009: La Fanciulla del West in Oslo

2009-12-14 La Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Den Norske Opera, Oslo

Minnie = Paoletta Marrocu
Dick Johnson (Ramirez) = José Cura
Jack Rance = Jason Stearns
Nick = Svein Erik Sagbråten
Ashby = Magne Fremmerlid
Jake Wallace = Njål Sparbo
Sonora = Ole Jørgen Kristiansen
Bello = Mads Wighus
Happy = Eirik Roland Egeberg-Jensen
Joe = David Fielder
Jim Larkens = Ketil Hugaas
Trin = Kjell Magnus Sandve
Harry = Henrik Engelsviken
Sid = Espen Langvik
José Castro = Carsten Stabell
Wowkle = Sigrid Ohlsson
Billy Jackrabbit = Bo Elley
Postiglione = Paul Kirkby

Joseph Colaneri, conductor

Monday I had a scare. I heard a woman exclaim "You will love it, I assure you, the Brazilian Helden-Tenor is singing. He is great!!!" Oh, no, I thought, it is not Cura who will sing. But it was the Argentine Tenor who sang.

He was great, Paoletta Marrocu was great. They were all great. I just had a tall man seating in front of me so my seat and view was not too great. But I enjoyed it. People was saying he was even better on Monday 14th than on Saturday 12th. But I had the wrong seat. Viva Argentina!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't cry for me Argentina! for I will go to Oslo to be there when JC sings his Agentine songs. I am really looking forward to listen to his own songs. Pablo Neruda poems composed by Jose Cura, sung by the composer. And the other songs. Will it be extra songs. I hope for a full house for the Argentine songs with Jose Cura.

Magic will happen again on December 17th. Tomorrow!!!

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Original blog post

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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December 12, 2009: La Fanciulla del West in Oslo

2009-12-12 La Fanciulla del West (Puccini), Den Norske Opera & Ballet, Oslo

Minnie = Paoletta Marrocu
Dick Johnson (Ramirez) = José Cura
Jack Rance = Jason Stearns
Nick = Svein Erik Sagbråten
Ashby = Magne Fremmerlid
Jake Wallace = Njål Sparbo
Sonora = Ole Jørgen Kristiansen
Bello = Mads Wighus
Happy = Eirik Roland Egeberg-Jensen
Joe = David Fielder
Jim Larkens = Ketil Hugaas
Trin = Kjell Magnus Sandve
Harry = Henrik Engelsviken
Sid = Espen Langvik
José Castro = Carsten Stabell
Wowkle = Sigrid Ohlsson
Billy Jackrabbit = Bo Elley
Postiglione = Paul Kirkby

Joseph Colaneri, conductor

This is a production from Vlaamse Opera Belgium.

Music: Giacomo Puccini
Libretto: Guelfo Civinini og Carlo Zangarini

Director: Robert Carsen
Set design/ costumes: Paul Steinberg
Lighting design: Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet
The Norwegian Opera Chorus

The Norwegian Opera Orchestra


Sung in Italian, Norwegian and English subtitles
Duration: App. 3 hours
It was the first time for me in the new Opera House in Oslo. And it was the first time for Jose Cura in Oslo. He sang Dick Johnson in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West. It is almost one of his calling cards. Among many people also a quite a number of Cura fans. Jose Cura Connexion was well represented there. Old and new friends together.

It was to be a magic night. But at the beginning of the opera I really thought that it would be a boring opera night. I was so totally wrong about that. I have never seen this opera without having moments of boredom but not in Oslo. The Robert Carson production from Vlamse Opera held me in its grip. It was first time I saw this production so I cannot say how much influence the presence of Jose Cura did have to the ensemble of Den Norske Opera. It was no doubt that this was one of Jose Cura finest Dick Johnson. The singing and everything was simply the best Dick Johnson that I have seen Cura do. Paoletta Marrocu was a wonderful actress as Minnie, her voice could be unruly but in sum it was a wonderful Minnie. Jason Stearns as Sheriff Jack Rance was all that one could wish for in this role. Fanciulla del West is not the kind of opera where it is enough to have a great soprano, tenor and baritone. This opera is like Wolf-Ferrari's SLY an opera that needs a great ensemble that can act all it different characters.

Conductor: Joseph Colaneri
Director: Robert Carsen
Set design/ costumes: Paul Steinberg
Lighting design: Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet



This production of La Fanciulla del West, The Girl of the Golden West, started with the men sitting in a cinema seeing a Western film. As the prelude ended in the orchestra the men found there western hats and started to act as they were in a saloon drinking with empty hands and then was shooting with empty hands. I thought that it must be hard to remember all that you must when you don't have the props. But it was just the beginning. When Ashby (Magne Fremmerlid) came then it was really something to drink sat on the table. And when Minnie came, she had real gun. And by then it had started to look as a saloon. And she gave all "real theater" whiskey. By the time the bandit Jose Castro came all had real pistols.

So this production was acted like a fantasy but with each new person coming in a new layer of reality was put in. In the end of the opera it is a dream, the miners go into the cinema to see the western film The Girl of the Golden West after Minnie is now dressed like a movie star and so is Dick Johnson, he came out with a sigarett in his mouth very macho and glamorous. 


Nex time. Fanciulla 2009-12-14 and Canciones Argentinas 2009-12-17 in Den Norske Opera & Ballett: www.operaen.no

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For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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July 8, 2009: Cavalleria Rusticana in Zurich

2009-07-08 Cavalleria Rusticana (P. Mascagni), Opernhaus Zurich

Santuzza = Paoletta Marrocu
Turiddu = José Cura
Alfio = Cheyne Davidson
Mamma Lucia = Cornelia Kallisch
Lola = Katharina Peetz

Stefano Ranzani, conductor

It was Real Verismo where every choir member had a role to play, nut as simply a chorus, but as real persons with their own individual lives. There were no masses, only individuals. Wonderful to see such attention to detail in an opera production. Paoletta Marrocu was Santuzza, I wish I could really describe how she acted and sang but nothing, except that she was Santuzza, really. Alfio and Lola, Cheyne Davidson and Katharina Peetz, was the good-looking and wealthy couple. Everybody in the village except Alfio and mamma Lucia knew about Turriddu and Lola. But wealth has it privilege, Lola was still excepted. Santuzza, not. Mamma Lucia, Cornelia Kallisch, was a much deeper role, more sympathetic especially in the end towards Santuzza. José Cura was Turriddu. He was great, even deeper understanding to the role. No wonder he was killed by Alfio, having been drinking a lot, and Alfio had not been drinking alcohol.

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Real verismo in Zurich on July 8th, 2009

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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June 2, 2004: I Vespri Siciliani in Zurich

2004-06-02 I Vespri Siciliani (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Elena = Paoletta Marrocu
Arrigo = Marcello Giordani
Procida = Ruggero Raimondi
Montfort = Leo Nucci

Carlo Rizzi, conductor



Mi 02 19.30-22.45 I VESPRI SICILIANI
Rizzi/Lievi/Balò/Raffelsberger
Marrocu, Schmid; Nucci, Raimondi, Giordani, Mayr, Groissböck, Winkler, Christoff, Murga, O'Reilly
Mittwoch-Abonnement B, Preise VI

2.6.2004 Nicolai Ghiaurov is dead! I did not know that he died in the morning when I came to the opera house for Verdi's Vespri Siciliani with Ruggero Raimondi, another star basso, as Procida. After the only intermission (before act 4), the indendant of Opernhaus Zurich Alexander Pereira came out, first he said nobody is sick, but the opera house has just received a call that the great basso Nicolai Ghiaurov is dead, he died this morning. The house sighed at this devastating news. Alexander Pereira then asked the audience to stand up for this great artist. And the house rouse up. And we all sat down as if we were only one body. The indentant told a bit of Ghiaurov's career in Zurich, and he said that the Opernhaus is dedicating this performance to Nicolai Ghiaurov.

The artists was all grieved by the loss, but nevertheless this two last acts was really fantastic sung and acted.

And now back to the beginning. The Overture of I Vespri Siciliani is a truly wonderful piece, and it brought back memories of the first 3 tenors concert, the original in Roma. I could see the images from the TV, and when the overture ended I almost waited that Carreras would come to sing Lamento di Federico. But instead there was another Lamento for Federico, Elena is mourning her brother. Paoletta Marrocu as Elena, maybe it was my ears that needed getting used to her voice or she sang better as the evening progressed, or both. Leo Nucci, Guido di Monforte, was really making a tremendously fine job in Vespri. It was a perfect role for him, his voice was really beautiful and his presence was tremendous. Marcello Giordani, Arrigo, was in the first 3 acts not in the best voice, but luckily in act 4+5 he was fantastic. Ruggero Raimondi, Giovanni da Procida, was wonderful but unfortunately in this opera all the characters is one-dimensional so it was only one side of RR, he was all revenge and patriotic. Before the intermission I thought that only the overture was highlight but luckily there were more "juicy" stuff in act 4+5.

All day long the skies were threatening with rain but the rain held until after the opera. Then the rain poured down. No waiting at the stage door for me, no umbrella and after all tomorrow I will have to get up early in the morning for a early flight to VIENNA and my second Italiana.

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April 30, 2006: Turandot in Zurich

2006-04-30 Turandot (Puccini), Opernhaus Zurich

Turandot = Paoletta Marrocu
Liu = Elena Mosuc
Calaf = José Cura
Timur = Pavel Daniluk
Ping = Gabriel Bermudez
Pang = Andreas Winkler
Pong = Boguslaw Bidzinski
Althoum = Miroslav Christoff
Mandarin = Valeriy Murga

Alan Gilbert, conductor



Turandot - Puccini
Ein Kultursponsoring der Julius Bär Gruppe

Dirigent Alan Gilbert
Inszenierung Giancarlo del Monaco
Bühnenbild Peter Sykora
Kostüme Peter Sykora
Lichtgestaltung Hans-Rudolf Kunz
Choreinstudierung Jürg Hämmerli



Matinee opera. A new production of TURANDOT with Jose Cura as Calaf. Wonderful music. Played very well by the orchestra and sung wonderfully by the chorus. Well, I am a traditionist so this production was not quite my taste. It did not seem too bad in the beginning. But in the end I must say that this 2nd Alfano ending of Turandot did include some un-necessary notes that almost ruined the great duet Calaf/Turandot.

Paoletta Marrocu as Turandot had not the kind of big voice that I believe this role needs. Elena Mosuc was a wonderful Liu and seemed to have a bigger voice than Marrocu. Pavel Daniluk was grand as Timur. JOSÉ CURA was wonderful as Calaf. I am sure that Cura enjoyed this new approach to Calaf. Making him a modern man in ancient China. Calaf solves the riddles with his computer.

I never knew how important it was to me that Calaf solved the riddles with his own brain, no cheating before seeing the PC onstage. I found the ending when Turandot changes to a Miss Saigon beautiful but not well funded in the production. That a modern China with chorus and all clothed modern for the end of the opera. WHY? But I would have loved to have a photo of Cura and Marrocu sitting at the table with Champagne and Pang, Ping, Pong changed to cook, waiter and restaurant manager, especially with Jose waiting to the audience....

I waited and saw Jose Cura & Elena Mosuc at the stage door. And talked to other members of JC Connexion. And then it was time to go the the airport for my flight home.

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