March 11, 2003: La Favorite in Vienna

2003-03-11 La Favorite (G. Donizetti), Wiener Staatsoper

Léonor de Guzman = Violeta Urmana
Fernand = Giuseppe Sabbatini
Alphonse XI = Carlos Alvarez
Balthazar = Giacomo Prestia
Don Gaspar = John Dickie
Inès = Genia Kühmeier

Fabio Luisi, conductor



Wlener Staatsoper
dienstag, 11. märz 2003
6. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

La Favorite
Oper in vier Akten
Text von Alphonse Royer und Gustave Vaëz
in Zusammenarbeit mit Augustin Eugène Scribe
Musik von Gaetano Donizetti

Dirigent Fabio Luisi
Inszenierung John Dew
Bühnenbild Thomas Gruber
Kostüme José-Manuel Vazquez
Choreinstudierung Marco Ozbic

Orchester der Wien er Staatsoper
Chor der Wiener Staatsoper

To start an opera evening by coming to the opera house 10 minutes before the opera starts is not the best way, but I soon calmed down to enjoy this, for me almost unknown opera. Knowing only "Spirto gentil" and "O mio Fernando" of this opera. But here they sang in French.

Having read the critic on beforehand, I was not too disappointed by the tenor singing of the top notes, they hurt my ears. After the tenor first aria, polite applause from the audience, they respects very much Giuseppe Sabattini. First act is in the convent where Fernand is a novice, the abbed wants Fernand to take the vows, but Fernand has met a very beautiful woman and is in love. Baltasar throws Fernand out of the convent, since F. does not want to forget the unknown woman. Next scene. An island where Leonor and her maids is enjoying life, Fernand comes there. He wants to marry Leonor, but she refuses, says she cannot and beseeches Fernand to forget her. He will not. Wonderful duet.

Act 2. The king and Leonor, with Ines and Don Gaspar in the royal garden of the moor king that Fernand have helped King Alphonse to win over. The king understands not that Leonor can be unhappy with being his mistress. The court despise Leonor, but the King sings of his great love, and Leonor tells that he deceived her to think that she was following her husband, when she left her father castle. Bah, I want to make you my queen. Then Don Gaspar, the courtier, has found out that a love letter to Leonor was given Ines, he gives the king the letter, who gets very angry with Leonor, especially since she refuses to give him the name of her lover. Then Baltasar comes with an urgent message from the pope, if the King and his mistress does not depart for ever, by the next day, they are excommunicated. In vain Alphonse tries to threaten Baltasar, King against the Church. The queen is there, thinking she can win over Alphonse to her side, just by evicting Leonor.

Act 3. The kings palace. Aphonse wants revenge. Fernand comes as a hero, and he wants a noble woman as a bride, suddenly A. finds out that F. is his rival. The perfect revenge is clear, marrying of his mistress to the hero, who does not know that this is a clear way to loose his honor, something Leonor knows perfectly. "O mon Fernand", wonderfully sung by Violeta Urmana. She orders Ines to tell Fernand all, but Ines is taken prisoner by Don Gaspar on the command of the king. She thinks Fernand know it all and still wants to marry her. But know this only gets cleared when the contempt of the court, and Baltasar is told about the wedding. Fernand you have lost your honor, marrying the mistress of the King. F. is furious. And they all see Fernand was innocent he REALLY did not know.

Act 4 in the monastery, Fernand is finally convince of making his vows, even though the thought of Leonor still haunts him "Ange si pur". Then Leonor has followed Fernand. She hears him taking to vows, and then she collapses and so they meet. She asks desperately for forgiveness before she dies. When at last Fernand give in, he tells her that he still loves her, and that he is willing to sacrilege to have her. To leave the monastery to marry her, and live in another country. Leonor is forgiven, and happy to have Fernands love again, and that her own death saves Fernand from the sacrilege.

Wonderful and sad end. Even though Sabbattini lacked the top notes to make it really remarkable (bel canto), he still gave Fernand the verve and poignancy that made it a great performance (verismo!)!!

OD Travel

February 22, 2008: Nabucco in Vienna

2008-02-22 Nabucco (G. Verdi), Wiener Staatsoper

Nabucco = Alberto Gazale
Ismaele = Marian Talaba
Zaccaria = Giacomo Prestia
Abigaille = Maria Guleghina
Fenena = Elisabeth Kulman*
Il Gran Sacerdote di Belo = Goran Simic
Abdallo = Benedikt Kobel
Anna = Caroline Wenborne*

Pier Giorgio Morandi, conductor

Two * role-debuts in Vienna State Opera. My sympathy lies with Abigaille. One could play her as just a power-hungry bitch. But then she is incomplete and you would oversee vital clues. She is Nabucco's daughter, or so she believes. She loves her father who all the time shows his affections is only for Fenena. Abigaille want to be loved. But even her love-interest love Fenena. But Abigaille is the daughter who really steps in Nabucco's shoes. For both Nabucco and Ismaele (the man she loves) she is willing to let go of power and instead of being Queen/Princess to be loved and love. If you really listen to what Abigaille says to Ismaele and Nabucco then you can hear a lot of compassion and love. But naturally Abigaille is really a complicated woman.

In the duet between Nabucco and Abigaille when Nabucco longs for Fenena, she says "You have another daughter" and runs towards him, and he rewards her with you are just a slave's daughter. Later he tries to save Fenena but Nabucco misses vital clues. Had he listened he would have understood to try to give Abigaille the kingdom (You shall be the Queen) is the wrong move, had he offered her "give me my daughter Fenena back and then then you too will be my daughter, and I will be you father) then I think things would be different. But he only sees the power-hungry woman and not a woman who wants her father's affection.

I see all the other characters in Nabucco as more fanatical and dangerous. Nabucco is a blood-hungry lion and so is Zaccaria even if Zaccaria is more religious. Ismaele and Fenena is also hard-hearted towards Abigaille and a bit fanatical. Of course the high-priest of Belo is fanatical. So Abigaille is the only one that is human and when Maria Guleghina sings Abigaille who cannot love her...

The Vienna production of Nabucco:
Inszenierung: Günter Krämer
Bühne: Petra Buchholz
Bühne: Manfred Voss
Kostüme: Falk Bauer
Licht: Manfred Voss
Musikalische Studienleitung: Jendrik Springer


I never quite liked it.
1- During the overture children acted like they were Abigaille, Fenena, Ismaele and Zaccaria in the children's room. That play did not give me anything.

2- This production uses the Holocaust in a way that I really don't think fits, not to the opera, and not at all, it seem like abuse of that great tragedy.

3- And the Holocaust reference would not be universally understood unless you have seen photos of Jews waiting with their luggage at the train station and read enough to understand what terrible places they were really going to.

Otherwise the production works very enough.

THE SINGERS

Maria Guleghina was a wonderful Abigaille. Her singing and acting was superb. She showed all the nuances of Abigaille. GREAT!

Alberto Gazale was really coming to be a Nabucco to be listening too. A bit weak in the beginning but then he really found his voice and was from that point on a Nabucco to be counted on. Leo Nucci, Renato Bruson, Juan Pons was great as Nabucco and now a new Nabucco has arrived. And I loved it how he when Abigaille came in dying to the stage I saw compassion in this last scene of the opera. GREAT!

Elisabeth Kulman sang Fenena. A beautiful voice, did her part wonderfully, one really hopes she gets a role she can shine into. Fenena is a small part. But she did it well!!

Marian Talaba was Ismaele. He really did sing and act well. A great part for Marian Talaba!

Goran Simic as the Great Priest of Belo (Baal) was really impressing this time. Full-bearded and full-voices. Great!!

Abdallo = Benedikt Kobel (did well)

Caroline Wenborne as Anna was a disappointment. Such a small role and she managed to be so very late in her most important moment "Oh fratelli, perdonate! Un'Ebrea salvato egli ha."

Giacomo Prestia as Zaccaria was really impressing. Rich voiced and acting well. GREAT!!

And after the opera: Maria Guleghina talked to her fans in fluent Italian and was the sweetest person. I even got to talk to her. WOW, I got even more a fan of her after that encounter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VIVA MARIA GULEGHINA!!!!!!!!

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

July 17, 2008: Nabucco in Munich

2008-07-17 Nabucco (G. Verdi), Bayerische Staatsoper

Nabucco = Paolo Gavanelli
Ismaele = Mikhail Agafonov
Zaccaria = Giacomo Prestia
Abigaille = Maria Guleghina
Fenena = Heike Grötzinger
Il Gran Sacerdote = Steven Humes
Abdallo = Kevin Conners
Anna = Lana Kos

Paolo Carignani, conductor

Musikalische Leitung Paolo Carignani
Inszenierung, Bühne und Kostüme Yannis Kokkos
Licht Michael Bauer
Chöre Andrés Máspero
Dramaturgie Anne Blancard-Kokkos

Das Bayerische Staatsorchester
Der Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper



Termin
Münchner Opernfestspiele 2008
Donnerstag, 17. Juli 2008
Nationaltheater
19.00 - ca. 21.40 Uhr
Dauer: Ca. 2 Stunden 45 Minuten

Mikhail Agafonov sprang in for Aleksandrs Antonenko as Ismaele with short time to prepare. But he sang and acted really well.

This time I sat on the best side for this opera, on the left, so I saw better the action. There were hammering sound during the opera even as the singing resumed it did not stop, it was simply disrespectful to the audience such noises. And then there was all this changes on stage that had often seemingly no reason to happen. And then Nabucco is an opera where the chorus play a great role in itself. The singing was OK but the acting simply wrongheaded.

This time Zaccaria (Giacomo Prestia) was well and the new Ismaele was an improvement. Paolo Gavanelli simply in my opinion has the wrong kind of voice for Nabucco, too sweet is his voice and not commanding in the voice. And then it was his looks, a big belly (his own or was it the directors idea) seemed to take even more command away from his appearance one could hardly image him riding tough and hard on a horse.

This was the better Nabucco is one sense, the overture was in anyway better played than on July 14th. Maria Guleghina was perfect as Abigaille. Heike Grötzinger was good as Fenena. But still as the opera ended and the singers bowed to the audience, the singers with Maria Guleghina as their head seem more tired than on July 14th. It was the last Nabucco of the season... Sadly it made me long for Vienna's Nabucco although there was things I did not like about that production.

BRAVA, Maria Guleghina!!!

OD Travel + Photos

Original blog post: Again Nabucco from Munich, another Ismael (July 17, 2008)


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

July 14, 2008: Nabucco in Munich

2008-07-14 Nabucco (G. Verdi), Bayerische Staatsoper

Nabucco = Paolo Gavanelli
Ismaele = Aleksandrs Antonenko
Zaccaria = Giacomo Prestia
Abigaille = Maria Guleghina
Fenena = Heike Grötzinger
Il Gran Sacerdote = Steven Humes
Abdallo = Kevin Conners
Anna = Lana Kos

Paolo Carignani, conductor

Inszenierung, Bühne und Kostüme Yannis Kokkos
Licht Michael Bauer
Chöre Andrés Máspero
Dramaturgie Anne Blancard-Kokkos

Das Bayerische Staatsorchester
Der Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper



Termin
Münchner Opernfestspiele 2008
Montag, 14. Juli 2008
Nationaltheater
19.30 - ca. 22.10 Uhr
Dauer: Ca. 2 Stunden 45 Minuten

Parte 1
01 Ouverture conducted by Paolo Carignani
Not the best NABUCCO ouverture that I have heard. Rather unimpressive.

02 Gli arredi festivi Chorus sang Ok, but the acting was so obviously staged. I did not get any feeling that the persons on stage felt anything out of the ordinary.

03 Sperate, o figli Giacomo Prestia, chorus. Giacomo Prestia did well as Zaccaria, obviously not in the best voice that evening. Not surprising since we were told that he was not well. The corus responded better with Giacomo Prestia as their chief voice.

04 Furibondo.... Aleksandrs Antonenko, Giacomo Prestia, chorus. Aleksandrs Antonenko was Ismaele and Giacomo Prestia as Zaccaria did their best to impress.

05 Fenena, mia diletta Aleksandrs Antonenko, Heike Grötzinger. Ismaele and Fenena. Heike Grötzinger was good as Fenena, but Ismaele was kind of boring

06 Prode Guerrier Maria Guleghina, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Heike Grötzinger. Finally some great singing and acting, Maria Guleghina as Abigaille.

07 Lo vedeste Chorus

08 Viva Nabucco! Maria Guleghina, Giacomo Prestia, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Paolo Gavanelli. Most unepressive Nabucco was Paolo Gavanelli, unfortunately, but he has a beautiful voice.

09 Tremin gl'insani.... Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Heike Grötzinger, ensemble. As always wonderful to hear Mria Guleghina.

10 O vinti, il capo al terra! Paolo Gavanelli, Giacomo Prestia, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Maria Guleghina,
Heike Grötzinger.

Parte 2
11 Ben t'invenno, o fatal scritto Maria Guleghina. Another highlight from Maria Guleghina.
12 Anch'io dischiuso un giorno Maria Guleghina as sweet a sound as never before

13 Salgo gia Steven Humes, Chorus, Maria Guleghina. Would have been even better if Steven Humes (Gran sacerdote di Belo) and chorus had been more on par with Maria Guleghina.

14 Vieni, o Levita Giacomo Prestia. He does so well that one marvels at how he would do had be been well.

15 Che si vuol Chorus, Aleksandrs Antonenko.

16 Deh fratelli, perdonate. Lana Kos, Giacomo Prestia, Kevin Conners, Heike Grötzinger, Guleghina, Gavanelli

17 S'appressan l'instante Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Heike Grötzinger, Prestia.

18 S'oda or me. Paolo Gavanelli, Giacomo Prestia, Heike Grötzinger, chorus.

19 Chi mi toglie.. Paolo Gavanelli...

Parte 3
20 E l'assria una Regina ... Chorus. Good singing but no acting,

21 Eccelsa Donna... Steven Humes, Maria Guleghina, Paolo Gavanelli, Kevin Conners

22 Donna, chi sei? Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina. Wonderful duet....
23 Oh, di qual onta.... Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina
24 Oh qual suon .... Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina
25 Deh perdona .... Paolo Gavanelli, Maria Guleghina

26 Va, pensiero Chorus. OK

27 Oh, chi piangi. Giacomo Prestia, chorus. Again Giacomo Prestia is the only one that can make the chorus be more alive.

Parte 4
28 Son pur queste mie membra Paolo Gavanelli is more Nabucco here is this part.
29 Dio di Giuda Paolo Gavanelli. Great aria
30 Porta fatal Paolo Gavanelli, Kevin Conners
31 O prode miei. Chorus, Paolo Gavanelli

32 Va la palma del martirio Giacomo Prestia, Heike Grötzinger. Finally an aria for Fenena. Wonderful.

33. Ah torna Israella Paolo Gavanelli, ensemble.

34 Immenso Jeovha Ensemble

35 Su me, morente Maria Guleghina. Fantastic Maria Guleghina!!!!!


My favorite opera, NABUCCO by G. Verdi and one of my favorite sopranos, Maria Guleghina as Abigaille. When the manager went out to announce something I got scared maybe it was something about my favorite Abigaille. But no, Giacomo Prestia was not well but was still singing.

Even as Giacomo Prestia was not well I still enjoyed his Zaccaria more than Paolo Gavanelli's Nabucco. Paolo Gavanelli was simply quite wrong as Nabucco in my opinion. He did quite well in Nabucco's great aria and was quite good in the great duet with Maria Guleghina. Ismaele was Aleksanders Antonenko who was not the best tenor for this role, but then which top star tenor would want to sing Ismaele. It is usually a role for the young tenor in the beginning of his career like it was for Josep Carreras and José Cura.

Maria Guleghina was a wonderful Abigaille. But the production was not a great one. The chorus sang well but felt nothing. It was much use of the possibilities on the stage to move stars and so on. But seldom did that add something to the opera. It was a lot of lost opportunities. Fenena was also great. Heike Grötzinger.

OD Travel

Original blog post: A weak Nabucco in Munich (July 14, 2008)

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

July 1, 2005: Nabucco in Verona

2005-07-01 Nabucco (Verdi), Arena di Verona

Nabucco = Leo Nucci
Ismaele = Nazzareno Antinori
Zaccaria = Giacomo Prestia
Abigaille = Susan Neves
Fenena = Tiziana Carraro
High Priest of Belo =
Francesco Palmieri
Abdallo = Luca Casalin
Anna = Cristina Pastorello

Vjekoslav Sutej, conductor




Arena
1 July 2005 - 21.15



Nabucco


Dramma lirico in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Temistocle Solera


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Vjekoslav Sutej


DIRECTOR Graziano Gregori
SCENOGRAPHER Graziano Gregori
COSTUME DESIGNER Carla Teti





Lucky for me it did not rain in the evening of Nabucco. It had been raining on June 29 and even thunders and lightning, the next day not so much. on July 1rst it was raining from the morning and then stopped. But in the evening the clouds again looked heavy, and when I came to Verona with the Opera Bus the clouds were hanging heavily and dark over the Arena. Then the time neared for Nabucco to start, suddenly the sky was clear.

The conductor Sutej was a wonderful opera conductor but although the overture was wonderful I remembered Jose Cura and his conducting of this overture as superior. This was a wonderful production but still even with Leo Nucci being a fantastic Nabucco an everything being quite OK I found the Nabucco in the Arena was no match to the Nabucco I have seen in Vienna State Opera. Susan Neves was an energic Abigaille who acted and sung with aplomb. Fenena and Ismaele was good enough, a true mezzo as Fenena was usual (I found) but wonderful. Giacomo Prestia was a good Zaccaria. But I missed the Vienna production that brought me to the heart of the matter in this opera, here I was on the outside looking in. The Va pensiero chorus was dacapo'ed. The audience loved it, and was especially fond of Leo Nucci, Giacomo Prestia and Susan Neves.

But whereas Miroslaw Dvorsky as Ismaele and Eliane Coelho as Abigaille in Vienna 2002 was something to remember, they were great, Nabucco in the Arena was more a big fuss than an opera.

Nabucco might seem perfect for an arena with its big chorus's but that makes the drama harder to unfold where as the intimacy of an opera house makes it more an emotional tour.

OD Travel + Photos

April 30, 2015: Don Carlo in Berlin

2015-04-30 Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi), Deutsche Oper Berlin

Philipp II. = Giacomo Prestia
Don Carlo = Rolando Villazón
Rodrigo, Marquis von Posa = Etienne Dupuis
Graf von Lerma / Herold = Gideon Poppe
Der Großinquisitor = Albert Pesendorfer
Ein Mönch = Andrew Harris
Elisabeth von Valois = Kristin Lewis
Prinzessin Eboli = Anna Smirnova
Tebaldo = Alexandra Hutton
Stimme von oben = Siobhan Stagg
1. Flandrischer Deputierter = Michael Rapke
2. Flandrischer Deputierter = Thomas Lehman
3. Flandrischer Deputierter = Seth Carico
4. Flandrischer Deputierter = Carlton Ford
5. Flandrischer Deputierter = Noel Bouley
6. Flandrischer Deputierter = Andrew Harris

Donald Runnicles, conductor
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin


Inszenierung, Bühne, Licht - Marco Arturo Marelli
Kostüme - Dagmar Niefind

Chöre - William Spaulding

A great performance of Don Carlo by Giuseppe Verdi

Giacomo Prestia as Felipe II, Rolando Villazon as Don Carlos, Kristin Lewis as Elisabeth de Valois were all great in their roles and singing. Etienne Depuis as Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa was a marvel to hear and see. Gideon Poppe as the Count of Lerma was equally an enjoyment to hear and see. The high and mighty Albert Pesendorfer was the high and mighty Grand'Inquisitor.  Anna Smirnova was impressing as Principessa Eboli. As lovely Tebaldo we had the lovely Alexandra Hutton. Siobhan Stagg sang divinely as the Celestial Voice. Andrew Harris was hard pressed to impress as the monk (Carlo Quinto) but he hold his way.

Donald Runnicles was running the show as the conductor making it a Don Carlo to rememmber fondly. Marco Arturo Marelli made the opera work as the director, scenographer and light designer with Dagmar Niefind creating the costumes. William Spaulding as chorus master. Orchestra and Chorus of Deutche Oper Berlin.

A total win on all fronts: musically, theatrically and the choice of Edition was perfect. It was the Italian 4 act version with one interval after 105 minutes of music. No Fontainebleau scene here and no addition of the extra French fuzzies translated into Italian.  This was the work as I believe it should always be played.

Kristin Lewis was amazing. AND Rolando Villazon is back!!!!
Etienne Depuis was the best of the best. Remember his name: ETIENNE DEPUIS.

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