June 27, 2003: Carmen in Vienna

2003-06-27 Carmen (G. Bizet), Wiener Staatsoper

Carmen = Agnes Baltsa
Don José = Julian Gavin
Escamillo = Ildar Abdrazakov
Micaëla = Krassimira Stoyanova
Frasquita = Simina Ivan
Mercédès = Cornelia Salje
Zuniga = Goran Simic
Moralès = Yu Chen
Remendado = Walter Pauritsch
Dancaïro = Hans Peter Kammerer
Lillas Pastia = Csaba Markovits

Vjekoslav Sutej, conductor



Wiener Staatsoper
freitag, 27. juni 2003
113. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Carmen
Oper in vier Akten von Henri Meilhac und Ludovic Halévy nach einer Novelle von Prosper Mérimée
Musik von Georges Bizet

Dirigent Vjekoslav Sutej
Inszenierung und
Bühnenbild Franco Zeffirelli
Kostüme Leo Bei
Choreographie Rafael de Cordova
Chorleitung Ernst Dunshirn
.,

Tänze Patricia Sollak
Rudolf Wächter
Christoph Wenzel
und das Corps de ballet

23 degree Celsius. Life is good. I meet another Baltsa fan in Arcadia Opera Shop, she is working there. 16.30 Edita Gruberova Autogramm-stunde in Arcadia.

I got just in time (1500) for a Guided Tour in the Staatsoper, it was not my first time. But I enjoyed it nevertheless. In Staatsoper, it was Edita-Gruberova-Austellung in Gustav-Mahler-saal, we saw the Carmen-scenery in the audience. And the tour ended in Arcadia Opera Shop, I stood in line for an autograph, bought the Lucia di Lammermoor with Gruberova/Josep Bros so she could have something to write on. I took photos, of course. A hot day for Gruberova to sit inside, they had to open more doors, and stand garde so no one would enter the shop that way.

Then it was Carmen with Agnes Baltsa and Julian Gavin. 1900-2215. I guess I was not in the mood to be overwhelmed. It was a very good, but not great performance. I love this opera, and Baltsa as Carmen is always special. But anyway the audience loved it. The performance was not exactly the same as the last time, I guess Julian Gavin took
some of his Carmen-expericed from Zurich with him. Agnes Baltsa did her death-scene differently, it was very effective. Julian Gavin was OK as Don Jose, I would have loved a better pronunciation of the French when speaking, but also in singing. You had to know what Don Jose was saying, if you didn´t you got lost. Agnes Baltsa was always clear in her pronunciation, if I knew the French language better I would know if it was pronounced correctly. But for my ears it was correct.Beside this Carmen is wild, her pronunciation should not be terribly correct. Krassimira Stoyanova was embraced by the Vienna audience. And this Escamillo, Ildar Abdrakov was great. I loved the
sweet soprano voice of Simina Ivan (Frasquita).

I stood long in line to wait for Agnes Baltsa, by 2300 I had to go to Westbahnhof since my train was leaving 23.25, and I had to collect my luggage first, too. Then I saw the sign, 40 min's late change to 55 and in the to 120 min's. Had I known this I could have waited longer for Baltsa, and maybe Baltsa would have come, or maybe not. So it was over 0100 when the train came to Vienna Westbahnhof.

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