February 16, 2013: UN GIORNO DI REGNO in Kristiansund, Norway

2013-02-16 Un Giorno di Regno (Verdi),Operaen i Kristiansund

Belfiore = Lars Eggen

Baron Kelbar = Trond Halstein Moe

Marchesa del Poggio = Itziar Martinez Galdos

Giulietta = Anna Einarsson

La Rocca = Sverre Johan Aal

Edoardo = Kristian Krokslett

Grev Ivrea = Thomas Ruud

Delmonte = Aleksander Mork

Kjell Seim, conductor

Regie - Ronald Rørvik

Scene - Bo-Ruben Hedwall

Lights - Hans-Åke Sjøquist

Costumes - Else Lund

Hair & mask - Maren Togstad

Operaen i Kristiansund

Un Giorno di Regno, or Konge for en dag in Norwegian, is simply Giuseppe Verdi's most wonderful comedic opera. It was simply the most fun you can ever have in an opera. The genius of Giuseppe Verdi together with Ronald Rørvik's Regie. It proved you can laugh so much and have so much fun your face seem  to have been massaged through and through. One can listen to the Philips recording with Jessye Norman, José Carreras, Fiorenza Cossotto and Ingvar Wixell and hear it is beautiful music but to really get into the fun one would need to go to Kristiansund and see Rørvik's production. On Youtube one can see parts of Parma's production with great singers but for the fun one would need the Kristiansund production.

The chorus was a great part of making this production so special. Every single member had their job and did it magnificently. It was beautifully done with a musicality that was amazing. A choreography that never felt forced and always seemed right. Everyone could act towards their strength. Whatever your body-type were or whether you needed glasses everything could be used to enhance the story. It was brilliant. That the beautiful and young man that was Belfiore, Lars Eggen, was simply made into just the right type for the fake King Stanislaus. Eduardo was sung by Kristian Krokslett, a chubby man that did not look like the young lover Eduardo. What a tenor voice and a true comedian!!! Of course this production worked even better like that. In an ordinary production. Both Belfiore and Eduardo would have been looked upon as miscast. But no, they were brilliant. What to say about the rest? Simply that they were brilliant. Itziar Martinez Galdos was amazing as Marchesa del Poggio. Anna Einarsson was simply beautiful in every way. And they could be serious and comedienne. Trond Halstein Moe was the most unhinged Baron Kelbar, simply genious. Sverre Johan Aal was a great La Rocca. Bravi, tutti!!!

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

December 27, 2011: Macbeth in Oslo, Norway

2011-12-27 Macbeth (Verdi), Den Norske Opera & Ballet (Oslo)

Macbeth = Claudio Sgura
Lady Macbeth = Itziar Martinez Galdos
Banquo = Magne Fremmerlid
Macduff = Daniel Johansson
Malcolm = Brenden Gunnell
Kammerdame = Christel Elisabeth Smith
Lege = Jens-Erik Aasbø
Macbeths tjener = Natanael Vasile Uifalean
En morder = Østein Skre
Duncan = Roald Nygård
Fleance, Banquos sønn = Sondre Paalgaard

John Helmer Fiore, conductor
Den Norske Opera & Ballet

Director - Stein Winge
Scenography and costumes - Tine Schwab
Lighting design - Frank Evin

The director was Stein Winge with scenography and costumes by Tine Schwab. This production of Macbeth by Verdi was neither a scandal nor a dramatic tragedy. Neither, a sad word. It was good but not great. It was a production that managed the scenes with the witches well but did not manage to make us (or at least me) care about the characters.


The magnificent bass Magne Fremmerlid was Banquo and did a superb job. The young Italian baritone Claudio Sgura was Macbeth. The singing of Sgura was great, his acting too, but he was not given a big palette to draw from. Stein Winge's idea made Macbeth from first note a flawed and weak man, and so he was from beginning to end. Lady Macbeth was sung by Itziar M. Galdos, who started weak but ended with a breathtaking sleepwalking scene. Brava!! But in the first aria of Lady Macbeth Stein Winge made her go from one side of the stage to the other aimlessly, so against the music and the words, not wonder Itziar M. Galdos even sounded unfocused. Luckily from the first aria she was simply better and better. The whole house should have stood up and cheered after the sleep walking scene but then Claudio Sgura was onstage and it was in so many ways Claudio's show. Daniel Johansson was Macduff and his rendition of Macduff's aria was one the best I have ever heard.

What is the problem with Macbeth, the opera of Verdi? Usually one talks of the supernational elements, the witches, and that Verdi was not his best in this elements. But in this production those scenes worked well. Some critics disliked the fact that it was just women in anoraks, but I disliked the laughter of the witches. The main thing was that it worked. The way Stein Winge incorporated the witches and some symbolic in the rest of the opera was exciting. He made us think that some of the women (all) of the royal court was also witches.

The King Duncan is no virtuos man if one is going by the way he imposes himself on the Lady Macbeth and jovially "Macbetto!!"  to Macbeth and gives Macbeth a medaille. As all goes to the party, Macbeth remains alone. Why? Because in this production Macbeth is essentially a loner? Or just because the opera has to go on. Macbeth has many of these loner moments, or just laying down passively, or fainting. Who can care for this man? Does the Lady? Is she really the strong one of the two? Who is Lady Macbeth and what is her motivation? The portraits of Macbeth and his Lady are just skin deep, so the opera is boring but the music is glorious. The scene from Macduff comes to wake up the King, the murder and procession of the dead body of Duncan is just glorious. A highlight.

It is sad to see so many opera dirctor is doing the same thing, in Macbeth a refugee choir with their photos of loved ones. I started to think about copyright, whose photos and was permission given to use these photos in this way. Frankly I found it disrespectful. And was there even a need to use photos, no, I think we would have understood the plight of refugees without it.

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

December 9, 1988: The Magic Flute in Oslo

1988-12-09 Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Tamino = Ulf Øien
Nattens Dronning = Benedicte Adrian
Papageno = Per Vollestad
Monostatos = Tor Gilje
Pamina = Itziar Martinez Galdos
Sarastro = Svein Carlsen

Per Åke Andersson, conductor

Benedicte Adrian, the other part of pop-duo Dollie (de Luxe), soprano, pop star, composer is singing Queen of the Night in the Norwegian Opera. And she does quite good. But although success at the opera she decides that opera is too "operatic" and goes to pop, composing with Ingrid Bjørnov (the other part of Dollie de Luxe) an rock-opera called Which Witch about the witch-hunt in Norway where (Norwegian baritone) Knut Skram also sang in a few staged concerts.

OD Travel

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

September 28, 1989: Barbiere di Siviglia in Oslo

1989-09-20
General Rehearsal

Tuesday, September 28
DEN NORSKE OPERA
BARBEREN I SEVILLA (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
by GIOACCHINO ROSSINI



1989-09-28 Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Rosina = Itziar Martinez Galdos
Almaviva = Neill Archer
Figaro = Trond Halstein Moe
Bartolo = Enzo Florimo
Basilio = Johann Tilli
Berta = Torill Carlsen
Fiorillo = Ulf Øien

Carlo Felice Cillario, conductor

Loved Itziar Marinez Galdos and Torill Carlsen as Rosina and Berta

OD Travel

September 20, 1989: Barbiere di Siviglia in Oslo

1989-09-20 Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Den Norske Opera (Oslo)

Rosina = Itziar Martinez Galdos
Almaviva = Neill Archer
Figaro = Trond Halstein Moe
Bartolo = Enzo Florimo
Basilio = Johann Tilli
Berta = Torill Carlsen
Fiorillo = Ulf Øien

Carlo Felice Cillario, conductor



1989-09-20
General Rehearsal

Tuesday, September 28
DEN NORSKE OPERA
BARBEREN I SEVILLA (Il Barbiere di Siviglia)
by GIOACCHINO ROSSINI

OD Travel