July 22, 2013: Un Ballo in Maschera in Milano

2013-07-22 Un Ballo in Maschera (Verdi), Teatro alla Scala, Milano

Riccardo = Marcelo Alvarez
Amelia = Sondra Radvanovsky
Renato = Zeljko Lucic
Ulrica = Marianne Cornetti
Oscar = Serena Gamberoni
Sam = Fernando Rado
Tom = Simon Lim
Silvano = Alessio Arduini
Minister of Justice = Andrzej Glowienka
Un servo d’Amelia = Giuseppe Bellanca

Daniele Rustioni, conductor

Staging - Damiano Michieletto
Sets- Paolo Fantin
Costumes - Carla Teti

Lights - Alessandro Carletti

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, Teatro alla Scala 2013-07-22.


The Boston version. But now updated to 2013. Vote for Riccardo 2013, incorrotta gloria!! Marianne Cornetti sang Ulrica, and just look at her, blonde and dressed in white. No African-American praying to Satan here. Ulrica is here a miracle worker and we see it, blind see, people rise up from walking again. Marcelo Alvarez was stupendous as Riccardo. Luckily he was not made into a blonde like poor Amelia.  One could hardly recognise Sondra Radvanovsky with her blonde hair. Making her into a desperate middle-aged women with brown skirts and brown trousers. She was great!! Oscar was in this production a secretary and without any doubt a woman, a young woman. No boy here. In  2013 no man can just kill his wife for adultery and think it is going to be right. And really it was in this scene the regie got most things wrong. The child is inside with the father and Amelia is singing her heart out outside. Who can hear it? The change of heart plausible. The child there as Tom and Sam arrive... No, I don't think they got it right. Un ballo in maschera, but nobody is carrying masks or dressed as anyone other than themselves. A play with placards of Riccardo in human size. Then Riccardo dies but first he becomes a ghost and Amelia is mouthing what he is singing as she is reading a paper. Now, that end worked. BUT!!!!!!

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

June 21, 2015: Norma in Munich

2015-06-21 Norma (Bellini), Bayerische Staatsoper

Norma = Sondra Radvanovsky
Adalgisa = Ekaterina Gubanova
Clotilde = Golda Schultz
Pollione = Gregory Kunde
Flavio = Francesco Petrozzi
Oroveso = Mika Kares

Paolo Carignani, conductor

Inszenierung, Bühne und Kostüme, Lichtkonzept - Jürgen Rose
Choreographische Mitarbeit - Jo Siska 
Licht - Michael Bauer
Produktionsdramaturgie - Peter Heilker 

Chöre - Stellario Fagone

Finally, Norma! Live from Munich with Sondra Radvanovsky and Ekaterina Gubanova as Norma and Adalgisa.

First time to see this opera live for me. Sondra Radvanovsky, who I saw last time in London as Lina in Verdi's Stiffelio 8 years ago, has become NORMA in a very big way. She is there alongside with Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland and Montserrat Caballé. Ekaterina Gubanova, who I have loved ever since Oberto in Paris in 2011, was equally amazing as Adalgisa.

Gregory Kunde was Pollione instead an indisposed Massimo Giordano. He was Pollione with gusto but not my cup of tea, so to speak. Mika Kares was a wonderful Oroveso. Frnacesco Petrozzi was Flavio and I wanted more from him like he should be singing Pollione with his beautiful voice.

Golda Schultz did her job in the little and yet important part of Clotilde. Parolo Carignani conducted it all.

Two children played the roles of the children of Norma and Pollione. Poor children!! Innocent young boys with a mother who loves (and hates) them.  A father who in the end is more a lover than a father. I still wonder if Norma was the only to die (did she die?), was Adalgisa also killed, did the children really get a chance to live safely with Oroveso, or ... Did Pollione die (killed by the Druids)?


The music is divine but who can love Norma or Pollione. Adalgisa can, I cannot. But I can love Adalgisa and wish the children did get a chance of love from ever lovable Adalgisa.

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 10, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-10 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold = Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Mark Elder, conductor



Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs


Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

Last performance, not only for me, but for the whole cast. And this one; was it the best? All I can say it that it is really amazing to see that for every performance new things happens, new inspirations. WOW. Amazing. Finally I can say Sondra, you have no longer a diction problem and I kind of like your voice now, and find you wonderful as an actress. But you know, Catherine Malfitano is my preferred Lina, and I have her on DVD, so, I am OK. In this performance we really know, because we saw it, Lina and Raffaele is really, how do you put it, "hot together" ?. So the duet Lina / Raffaele which is so hard to get to make it natural, they did that, Sondra and Reinaldo Macias. Amazing... BRAVI!! and the duets Stiffelio/Lina, wow, fantastic. Anyone would have been scared stiff with Jose Cura's Stiffelio completely raging mad almost violent. FANTASTIC. And when Stiffelio took of his wedding ring in act 2. And to see him almost completely crushed when listening to Lina. And on this last night, we were so close to maybe Stiffelio would reach out to his wife. Soooooo close. But he was crushed .... GREAT, FANTASTIC...

And if you think that I regret seeing STIFFELIO three times, no way.... (of course all JCx members understand this kind of operamania)

OD Travel + Photos

Blog post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-10)

May 8, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-08 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold =
Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Mark Elder, conductor



Stiffelio
The Royal Opera 2006/7


* 20 Apr 07, 7.30 PM
* 23 Apr 07, 7.30 PM
* 02 May 07, 7.30 PM
* 05 May 07, 7.00 PM
* 08 May 07, 7.30 PM
* 10 May 07, 7.30 PM


Background

Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs


Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

Fourth came May 8th, Stiffelio in London with Jose Cura as Stiffelio. As asked previously, why 3 times Stiffelio, the answer is to get the BEST performance. And as being before the last performance, May 10th, this was it. The BEST. Here I was overwhelmed, Jose Cura etc was great. This was not the same performance, the acting was quite different. Sondra was better,but the lack of proper pronunciation was turning me off. I have never heard a singer not being able to sing MADRE, with all the letters, Sondra sang ..ADRE. Of course we have subtitles now, so we can read it in English was she was singing. But really When you know the text as I do, it is terrible not be able to hear a professional opera singer sing the words.I am not talking about the high notes, as I understand that might be asking too much. But, oh, dear Sondra, please be better in the future.

OD Travel + Photos
Blog Post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-08)

May 5, 2007: Stiffelio in London

2007-05-05 Stiffelio (Verdi), Royal Opera House

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Sondra Radvanovsky
Stankar = Roberto Frontali
Raffaele von Leuthold =
Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Alastair Miles
Federico di Frengel = Nikola Matišic
Dorotea = Liora Grodnikaite

Christopher Willis, conductor



Director: Elijah Moshinsky
Set designs: Michael Yeargan
Costume designs: Peter J. Hall
Lighting: Paul Pyant
Fight Director: William Hobbs

Federico di Frengel: Nikola Matišic§
Dorotea: Liora Grodnikaite*

§ Jette Parker Young Artist
*Jette Parker Principal

First came May 5th, Stiffelio in London ROH with Jose Cura, Sondra Radvanovsky and
Roberto Frontali. Before going to London I had read the reviews, almost all complaining of the singing being to LOUD etc. What I found as being the truth in London on May 5th that yes, Sondra Radvanovsky has a big voice and that indeed I could hear her better than the other singers. But that this was just a competition of loud singing, it was not, not on May 5th, I cannot say for the previous performances since I was not there. Roberto Frontali as Stankar was good, but in my opinion he was not the only good singer her as many of the reviewer was saying. May 5th performance was not the greatest Stiffelio. Jose Cura was good but in my opinion he was over-acting, Sondra Radvanovsky as Lina was crying too much, too often, and I did not like her singing much and her lack of pronunciation of the Italian text was appalling. As I said Frontali was Ok. Reinaldo Macias as Raffaele did not cut such a great figure here as in Zurich. He was pale here.

OD Travel + Photos

Blog post: May 2007: Stiffelio in London (2007-05-05)