March 31, 2015: Les Contes d'Hoffmann in Munich

2015-03-31 Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Jacques Offenbach), Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich)

Olympia = Jane Archibald
Giulietta = Brenda Rae
Antonia = Serena Farnocchia
Cochenille, Pitichinaccio, Frantz = Kevin Conners Lindorf, Coppélius, Dapertutto, Miracle =
Christian Van Horn
Nicklausse/Muse = Angela Brower
Stimme aus dem Grab = Qiu Lin Zhang
Hoffmann = Rolando Villazón
Spalanzani = Ulrich Reß
Nathanaël = Dean Power
Hermann = Andrea Borghini
Schlémil = Christian Rieger
Wilhelm = Petr Nekoranec
Crespel = Peter Lobert
Luther = Peter Lobert

Constantin Trinks, conductor
Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper Orchester Bayerisches Staatsorchester

Inszenierung - Richard Jones
Bühne - Giles Cadle
Kostüme- Buki Shiff
Choreographie - Lucy Burge
Licht - Mimi Jordan Sherin
Dramaturgie - Rainer Karlitschek

Chor - Sören Eckhoff

Having seen this opera before with Placido Domingo and Agnes Baltsa as Hoffmann and Giulietta, the video recording from Royal Opera House Covent Garden, I was not overly optimistic. The only part I could really enjoy was the Giulietta act and even Domingo could not make me enjoy the whole opera. The parts with Placido was always the best and with Agnes Baltsa too, it became magic.


Rolando Villazon was the best actor for this role and a good tenor, too. His voice is not as it used to be, they say. In this performance I saw a promise to come back to greatness with some care. Villazon was a great Hoffmann and by his side the true wonder of the evening Angela Brower as Nicklausse. The 3 sopranos was great. Jane Archibald was the most amazing Olympia. Serena Farnocchia was the most wonderful Olympia. Brenda Rae was Giulietta. This time I did not love the Giulietta act more the rest. It was just the most perfect production.

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 15, 2005: Il Corsaro in Genova

2005-05-15 Il Corsaro (Verdi), Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova

Medora = Serena Farnocchia
Gulnara = Doina Dimitriu
Corrado = Giuseppe Gipali
Seid = Roberto Servile
Giovanni = Antonio De Gobbi

Bruno Bartoletti, conductor



Il corsaro
Opera in tre atti di Francesco Maria Piave
Musica di Giuseppe Verdi

Teatro Carlo Felice


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conductor
Bruno Bartoletti

Regie
Lamberto Puggelli

Music
Giuseppe Verdi

Scene
Marco Capuana

Costumes
Vera Marzot




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maestro d'armi: Renzo Musumeci Greco

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date
Sunday 15 May, 15.30 (R)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medora Serena Farnocchia
Gulnara Doina Dimitriu
Corrado Giuseppe Gipali
Seid Roberto Servile
Giovanni Antonio De Gobbi


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nuovo allestimento del Teatro Carlo Felice
in coproduzione con il Teatro Regio di Parma

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder if this production would have been exactly like this if Bush had not decided that the Geneva convention did not apply to all. Without Abu Graib and such would one chosen to show torture on the stage. For it is torture to hold someone's head in the opening and try to close it while head held fix is there to get the trap door repeatedly on the head. Not only did Seid do that to his prisoners but the corsairs did that too, don't know what prisoner they had on their ship, but violence was shown. In the setting of Corsairs against the Moslems where the Corsairs is sort of heroes (in real life they were never true heroes, only pirates). Without Bush and Iraq, would this Corrado been staged like this. Good or evil they are all doing it, torture... USA has OK' ed it. Or just the president of USA, and his government and the Republicans.

I don't know it this was a kind of hidden critics to the US, or what, but I think the director should have refrained from showing it onstage. And of course the sword fight was spectacular but why not keep it offstage.

Both Medora's were wonderful. Doina Dimitriu was a much better Gulnara than Paola Romano. But Dimitrius voice sometimes seem to go into too thin air. Giuseppe Cipali was a sympathetic Corrado, wonderful in the duets with Medora and Gulnara. But Rubens Pellizzaro was younger and more agile both in voice and acting and climbing. Marco Di Felice was a better Seid than Roberto Servile. More elegant, refined and better voice.

OD Travel + Photos