January 23, 1989: La Boheme in Oslo

1989-01-23 La Boheme (Puccini), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Mimi = Solveig Kringlebotn
Musetta = Ingjerd Oda Mantor
Rodolfo = José Antonio Sempere
Marcello = Trond Halstein Moe
Schaunard = Per Vollestad
Colline = Svein Carlsen
Benoit/Alcindoro = Bjørn Lie-Hansen
Parpignol = Ola S. Isene

Per Åke Andersson, conductor



Solveig Kringlebotn (or Kringelborn as she is knowm internationally) and José Antonio Sempere was great as Mimi and Rodolfo.

OD Travel

January 7, 1989: Die Fledermaus in Oslo

1989-01-07 Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Dr. Falke = Terje Stensvold
Alfred = Ragnar Ulfung
Adele = Solveig Kringlebotn
Rosalinde = Helena Döse
Eisenstein = Arild Helleland
Dr. Blind = Tor Gilje
Frank = Stein Arild Thorsen
Orlovski = Vesla Tveten
Ida = Gro Hundvin Eliassen
Frosch = Rolv Wesenlund

Zdenka Perharda, conductor




19 years after the performance, I say:

This operetta, The Bat (Die Fledermaus) is often played on New Years Eve or Day. Afterall it has a tune for Champagner as the King of Wine. This production was known for having Rolv Wesenlund, the famouse Norwegian comedian as Frosch. He is famous in Norway and Sweden. The old tenor master, Ragnar Ulfung sang Alfred and Swedish soprano Helena Döse was his wife. The new and now famous Norwegian soprano, Solveig Kringlebotn (or Solveig Kringelborn as she is called when she sings outside Scandinavia) was a wonderul Adele.

The operetta was upgraded to be set in the 1930's. Something that neither harmed it or enhanced it.

OD Travel

November 30, 1989: Faust in Oslo

1989-11-30 Faust (Gounod), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Marguerite = Solveig Kringlebotn
Faust = Kåre Bjørkøy
Valentin = Jan Sødal
Mefisto = Oddbjørn Tennfjord
Siebel = Irma Urrila
Marte = Vessa Hanssen
Wagner = Jens Olai Justvik

Dag Nilssen, conductor

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 19, 1990: The Phantom of the Opera in Oslo

1990-10-19 Phantom of the Opera (Ken Hill), Det Norske Teatret (Oslo)

Christine Daeé = Solveig Kringlebotn
The Phantom of the Opera = Paul Åge Johannessen
Raoul = Yngve Gåsøy
La Carlotta = Anita Rummelhoff



Oslo 19/10-1990
DET NORSKE TEATRET
OPERAFANTOMET, by Ken Hill
Music from operas by Donizetti, Gounod, Mozart, Offenbach, Tsjaikovsky, Verdi and Weber.

This was not the famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, but rather theater with music from great operas with new text. Of course the story of the same from the same novel Lloyd Webber founded his musical on.

Our Norwegian Soprano Solveig Kringlebotn is more known as SOLVEIG KRINGELBORN

OD Travel

May 6, 1991: Carmen in Oslo

1991-05-06 Carmen (Bizet), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Don José = Louis Gentile
Escamillo = Jan Sødal
Remendado = Arild Helleland
Dancairo = Jens Olai Justvik
Zuniga = Gudjon Oskarsson
Morales = Ole Hermod Henriksen
Carmen = Anne Gjevang
Micaela = Solveig Kringlebotn
Frasquita = Toril Carlsen
Mercedes = Kristina Hammarström

Antonio Pappano, conductor



OD Travel

April 18, 2007: Die Lustige Witwe in Oslo

2007-04-18 Die Lustige Witwe (F. Lehàr), Den Norske Opera
Hanna Glawari = Solveig Kringlebotn
Grev Danilo Danilovitsch = Kjell Magnus Sandve
Valencienne = Ina Kringlebotn
Camille de Rosillon = Marius Roth Christensen
Baron Zeta = Thor Inge Falch
Njegus = Torill Eriksen

Alfred Eschwé, conductor



DIE LUSTIGE WITWE
Operetta in 3 acts by Franz Lehár
Libretto by Victor & Leon Stein


Premiere: 18/4
Days of performance: 19/4, 21/4, 22/4, 23/4, 24/4, 25/4, 26/4, 30/4, 2/5, 3/5, 5/5
Duration: app. 2 h 45 min
Sung in Norwegian

Conductor: Alfred Eschwé
Directors: Ronald Rørvik/Stuart Hopps/ Toralv Maurstad
Choreography : Stuart Hopps
Set design/ Costumes: John-Kristian Alsaker
Lightning design: Hans-Åke Sjöquist
Choir: Steffen Kammler

Dancers
The Norwegian National Opera's Choir and Orchestra





Sung in Norwegian, OK, I am Norwegian, so it's OK. Dialogue in Norwegian, that's OK too, of course. And subtitles, great. But no subtitles when the dialogue is on. WHY ? And when the director decide that opera singers are going to speak naturally, not with opera voices and great diction, that's idiocy. Could not hear the dialogue well at all, and with no subtitles that mean a lot of information is lost. And Operetta usually have a lot more dialogue than your average opera. Stupid decision, annoying...

If the singing and the rest had been great then I would have forgiven it. Aunt and niece Kringlebotn in an operetta. I expected Aunt Solveig to be better than niece Ina. But Valencienne was better than Hanna Glawari. Kjell Magnus Sandve used to have a beautiful tenor voice but in the operetta his voice was not really there... Best acting and singing was Torill Eriksen as Njegus. The veteran mezzo as Hanna would have been wonderful. I think that maybe Hanna Glawari should be sung by a mezzo soprano...

The singers took a long time to warm up. Especially Solveig Kringlebotn and Kjell Magnus Sandve.

It is difficult to make an operetta work, especially in our modern time.

Weak.. Sad, really.

OD Travel

Original blog post: April 2007: Die Lustige Witwe in Oslo (2007-04-18)