November 19, 2004: Stiffelio in Vienna

2004-11-19 Stiffelio (Verdi), Wiener Staatsoper

Stiffelio = José Cura
Lina = Hui He
Stankar = Renato Bruson
Raffaele = Cosmin Ifrim
Jorg = Johannes Wiedecke
Federico = Peter Jelosits
Dorotea = Ǻsa Elmgren

Marco Armiliato, conductor

Breakfast. Free time in Berlin. Afternoon-flight to Vienna. Just an hour before the opera started was I in the Staatsoper, naturally I had skipped visiting my hotel first. So all my luggage in Staatsoper. Relaxing and meeting friends before the opera started. I had bought the Viennese newspapers on the airport Schwechat and
looked through it on the train to Vienna City. I usually am quite drowsy when I get into the opera houses after my traveling, not this time. Unfortunately it didn't get that much interesting on the stage.

The ouverture was well played with the orchestra conducted by Marco Armiliato. And the young bass as Jorg was quite good. But he was a young man playing an older man, not utterly convincing. I was ready to admire the soprano Hui He as Lina first I was a bit put off by the painting of her face as too white, reminded me of Chinese opera, it was a visual disturbance that I would have learned to live with. But this very beautiful large voice was simply too weak in the piano. You need the hear the voice even it should sound piano.

Cosmin Ifrim as Raffaele was charming. And Hui He and Cosmin Ifrim was a nice couple of singers. Renato Bruson (Stankar) was not, in my opinion, in great form. Even though Jose Cura acted the role very well, I felt that even he was not in such a great form. The Moshinsky production is wonderful but without a great Stiffelio,
Lina & Stankar it could not stand on it own. How I longed for Leo Nucci as Stankar and Emily Magee as Lina, they sang so well in Zurich I wished they came to Vienna too. Really, the test for this opera is the ending of it. "Allor Gesu..." and PERDONATA!!, the adulteress is forgiven in the Bible and in Opera, and I felt
nothing. Big applause to Hui He and Renato Bruson from the house but not from me. I really wished that I could feel that Jose Cura did another great performance. ´Maybe it was the weather?

Anyway, after the performance, applause and backstage, I found my hotel pension Haydn and had another good nights sleep.

PS. I feel like I disagree with myself now 4 years later. That Jose Cura sang well, and that Hui He was a great Lina. But I still let it say this. It was what I felt that time.DS

Stiffelio
(32. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung)

Dirigent: Marco Armiliato
Inszenierung: Elijah Moshinsky
Bühnenbild: Michael Yeargan
Kostüme: Peter J. Hall
Lichtregie: Paul Pyant
Choreinstudierung: Ernst Dunshirn

Stiffelio: José Cura
Lina: Hui He


Beginn: 20.00

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