April 16, 2011: Stiffelio in Stockholm

2011-04-16 Stiffelio (Verdi),Kungliga Operan (Stockholm)

Stiffelio = Lars Cleveman
Lina = Lena Nordin
Stankar = Marcus Jupither
(Karl-Magnus Fredriksson)
Raffaele = Jonas Degerfeldt
Jorg = Michael Schmidberger
Federico = Karl Rombo
Dorotea = Sara Olsson

Pier Giorgio Morandi, conductor
Stage design and costumes:Magdalena Åberg
Light design: Ellen Ruge
Dramaturg: Stefan Johansson
Producer: Tobias Theorell

Kungliga Operans Kör
Kungliga Hovkapellet



Music: Giuseppe Verdi
Lyrics: Francesco Maria Piave





April 16, 2011 premiere of Stiffelio. Before the opera started Birgitta Svendén, the opera intendant, came to announce we would have 2 Stankars, Marcus Jupither acting the role and Karl-Magnus Fredriksson to sing from the side of the stage. Both baritones was obviously immensely popular in Stockholm. The conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi with orchestra, choir and soloists made all a strong and good impression already from the ouverture. In this production we are introduced to 2 addittional characters, a boy and a girl, the children of Stiffelio and Lina. The regissör chose them to accentuate the dilemma of Lina. Unfortunately I felt they only made the story stranger. This was wonderful children actors acting how it is to child in a sect that care not of protecting children from realities children should be protected from. For me the children did not change Lina as much as it made Stiffelio to an even more manipulative person. Stiffelio was in this production a charismatic leader who uses the children for his own profit. They must see and hear and be the light of the sect. Lina does not protect the children much but she is like the whole congregation under the heavy thumb of Stiffelio. The divorce scene starts with "Fritz? ... S'avverta Mamma, che qui l'attendo". So the boy comes in with mamma Lina. And they are present there until finally Lina takes them out. Poor children. Would not a divorce make 2 innocent children into social outcast. So little does Stiffelio care. Just like Stankar is Stiffelio only consumed with his own feelings of betrayal. The scenography is mimalistic and shows with simple means how the ceiling loweres and certain points in the opera. The regie is always telling that this is a rather fanatic sect with very little open space for the individual.

Stockholm, well, I found the Opera House (original blog post)

OD Travel
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