March 26, 2006: Stiffelio in Zurich

2006-03-26 Stiffelio (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Lina = Adriana Damato
Stiffelio = José Cura
Stankar = Renato Bruson
Raffaele = Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Federico Sacchi
Federico = Martin Zysset
Dorotea = Margaret Chalker

Stefano Ranzani, conductor

Stiffelio - Verdi (Wiederaufnahme)
In italienischer Sprache
Dirigent Stefano Ranzani
Inszenierung Cesare Lievi
Bühnenbild Csaba Antal
Kostüme Marina Luxardo
Lichtgestaltung Jürgen Hoffmann
Choreinstudierung Ernst Raffelsberger




Werkbeschreibung In «Stiffelio» gibt es hinreissende Musik. Überraschende musikalische Einfälle, zielsichere Effekte, weit ausschwingende Melodiebögen und harmonisch betörende Ensembles, das ist Verdi vom Besten. Hinzu kommt das exotische Ambiente einer protestantischen Sekte – Anlass zu mancherlei romantischen Gebets- und schauerlichen Friedhofsszenen und zum grossen Theatercoup am Schluss, als Stiffelio von der Kanzel herab eine gesungene Predigt hält.

This was expected to be the perfect performance of Stiffelio. On March 24th there were many missteps but now those fault would not be repeated. And yes, no mistakes. Jose Cura is wonderful as Stiffelio, Adriana Damato is a wonderful Lina. Renato Bruson is a rather coarse Stankar. Reinaldo Macias is perfect as Raffaele. Federico Sacchi is too young to be Stankar (vocally). Martin Zysset is invisible as Federico. Margaret Chalker is beautiful as Dorotea.

Revelations: Stiffelio is Christ-like with "stigmata" in his hands after handling the sword, except the forgiveness. No "forgiveness them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing", rather "la perfida, sia dannata" (Perdon! Giammai! La perfida . . .Sia maledetta!)

OD Travel + Photos

March 24, 2006: Stiffelio in Zurich

2006-03-24 Stiffelio (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Lina = Adriana Damato
Stiffelio = José Cura
Stankar = Renato Bruson
Raffaele = Reinaldo Macias
Jorg = Federico Sacchi
Federico = Martin Zysset
Dorotea = Margaret Chalker

Stefano Ranzani, conductor



Stiffelio - Verdi (Wiederaufnahme)
In italienischer Sprache
Dirigent Stefano Ranzani
Inszenierung Cesare Lievi
Bühnenbild Csaba Antal
Kostüme Marina Luxardo
Lichtgestaltung Jürgen Hoffmann
Choreinstudierung Ernst Raffelsberger


My favorite opera is Stiffelio. My favorite tenor is Jose Cura. The Soprano Adriana Damato who I had seen and heard in Parma in the Verdi Concert 2004 she sang then Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri and Il Corsaro and did a very favorable impression. I know that she have sung Mina in Aroldo, Stiffelio's twin opera, so I was very eager to see this Zurich production of Stiffelio with Cura and Adriana Damato. Her voice seem sometimes not big enough but her charisma was very strong. Unescapable when onstage. Very much what I dreamed.

On March 24th it was very much a live performance. Small missteps here and there. Some ensembles did not start right, when one person stumbles it makes any septet difficult to come right. Stefano Ranzani might be a wonderful conductor but the orchestra sometimes drowned the singers and is not the conductor responsible in saving it when the singers go a bit wrong. So it was an almost perfect performance. Though a bit disconnected at times.

Renato Bruson who has sung Stankar many times and was very much applauded in Zurich seem to me a bit too heavy in voice in this Zurich production. I guess Leo Nucci in 2004 made an impression not to be forgotten. He became the ideal Stankar for me.

Jose Cura was wonderful as Stiffelio and together with Damato, it was simply stunning. Federico Sacchi as Jorg seemed to be a too light a bass. Martin Zysset and Margaret Chalker did well, but was both better in 2004.

But in 2004 there was a premiere of Stiffelio and more performances in the season, now there were only 2. Can one expect miracles when rehearsal time is probably more scarce?

Reinaldo Macias was as always wonderful as Raffaele.

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February 13, 2004: Andrea Chenier in Vienna

2004-02-13 Andrea Chenier (Giordano), Wiener Staatsoper

Andrea Chenier = José Cura
Maddalena di Coigny = Norma Fantini
Carlo Gérard = Renato Bruson
Bersi = Elina Garanca
Gräfin di Coigny = Waltraud Winsauer
Madelon = Mihaela Ungureanu
Roucher = Boaz Daniel
Pietro Fléville = Hans Peter Kammerer
Fouquier Tinville = Goran Simic
Mathieu = Wolfgang Bankl
Abbé = Benedikt Kobel
Incroyable = Michael Roider
Hauhofmeister = Marcus Pelz
Dumas = Peter Köves
Schmidt = Johannes Wiedecke

Marcello Viotti, conductor
13. Februar 2004



ANDREA CHÉNIER
(82. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung)

Dirigent: Marcello Viotti
nach einer Inszenierung von: Otto Schenk
Bühnenbild: Rolf Glittenberg
Kostüme: Milena Canonero
Choreinstudierung: Ernst Dunshirn



Beginn: 19.30


about Andrea Chenier


ANDREA CHENIER, Wiener Staatsoper 13.2.04.

Wonderful production of this most known opera by Umberto Giordano. But I must confess that I was not convinced this was José Cura's best performance as Andrea Chenier. Not that I regret coming to Vienna for this Andrea Chenier. It was interesting to see Renato Bruson as Carlo Gerard and Norma Fantini as Maddalena di Coigny.

But I found the overall impression was not convincing . But the house agreed on Boaz Daniel as Roucher was wonderful. In my opinion José Cura acted Andrea Chenier wonderfully, but sang less good. Pronunciation and timing was somewhat lacking. Renato Bruson was great as Carlo Gerard, but unluckily for me I find his voice a little too hard. Norma Fantini also great as Maddalena, but lacked some of the vocal weight that I heard she had when she sang Aida in Munich (2002). Margareta Hintermeier did not sing the role of the Countess (Maddalena's mother) and I wonder if not that would have made a difference, more weight and drama in this small role.

Madelons aria is always a highlight in the 2 act, but this time it could have easily been overlooked. It is usually quite emotional to listen to this aria. And when the judges came in the judgement scene I did not feel any weight and could not see who they were and neither did I feel the terror that the people feel when the terrible judges come. So act 3 was a little blass.

In the whole the crowd scene was not really good represented on the stage. Very few angry men did get into the gilded house during the party in act 1, the house guests outnumbered them. The crowds was really small and in this huge stage it almost looked stupid, it is afterall supposed to be Paris, a rather overcrowded city.

OD Travel + Photos

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

OD Travel + Photos

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com
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September 30, 2002: Roberto Devereux in Vienna

2002-09-30 Roberto Devereux (Donizetti), Wiener Staatsoper

Elisabetta = Edita Gruberova
Nottingham = Renato Bruson
Sara = Enkelejda Shkosa
Roberto Devereux = Josep Bros
Lord Cecil = Cosmin Ifrim
Sir Gualtiero Raleigh = In-Sung Sim

Frédéric Chaslin, conductor



Where you there?
You should have been there...

Lucky me to be in Vienna and have a ticket to this performance, a perfect seat, and as it progressed it was the perfect opera evening.

Loved it from the beginning when then conductor (Frederic Chaslin) came and a wonderful ouverture was played. First the chorus and then Sara (Enkelejda Shkosa) sang her aria. How wonderful it was, difficult to top that, one could think, but when the Queen came, Elisabeth I (Edita Gruberova), one knew, it was going to be splendid. "Die Gruberova" sang with heart, head, soul and making this belcanto opera so real, everything she put in her voice was be more a real person. My hands and shoulders started to ache after the first burst of applauds. Divine, this Queen of Opera!

José Bros, the Catalan tenor (Josep Bros), had a real beautiful voice and appearance, and he did well in the different duets. As he played Roberto Devereux, the title role, he was really a man that one could understand all the fuss the women was making about him. The Duke of Nottingham (Renato Bruson) was naturally a great man for this role. This cast was really perfect.

In the end, it was so much applause, and naturally, Brava!, we were all going "slightly mad" over Gruberova et al.

Wiener Staatsoper
montag, 30. september 2002
21. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Roberto Devereux
Tragedia lirica in drei Akten von Salvatore Cammarano
Musik von Gaetano Donizetti

DirigentFrédéric Chaslin
Inszenierung Silviu Purcarete
Bühnenbild und
Kostüme Helmut Stürmer
Choreinstudierung Ernst Dunshirn
--

Ein Vertrauter Nottinghams Hiro Ijichi
Ein Page Hacik Bayvertian
..
Chor und Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper Bühnenorchester der Wiener Staatsoper

Diese Produktion wurde ermöglicht mit Unterstützung von
~ LEXUS

OD Travel + Photos

June 23, 1997: Stiffelio in Vienna

1997-06-23 Stiffelio (Verdi), Wiener Staatsoper

Stiffelio = Antonio Lotti
Lina = Mara Zampieri
Stankar = Renato Bruson
Raffaele = Ruben Broitman
Jorg = Peter Köves
Federico von Frengel = Peter Jelosits
Dorotea = Marjorie Vance

Fabio Luisi, conductor



Montag, 23. Juni 1997 STAATSOPER
11. Aufführung in dieser Inszenierung

Stiffelio
Oper in drei Aktenvon Francesco Maria Piave
MusikGiuseppe Verdi

Musikalische Leitung Fabio Luisi
InszenierungE lijah Moshinsky
Bühnenbild Michael Yeargan
Kostüme Peter J. Hall
Lichtregie Paul Pyant
Choreinstudierung Dietrich D. Gerpheide

Freunde und Gefolgsleute Stiffelios
Balletteleven der
Österreich ischen Bundestheater

So here I was in Vienna with my parents most of all to see Stiffelio, my favorite opera, with Josep Carreras, my favorite tenor. And he did not sing. Antonio Lotti, the Brazilian tenor, sang well enough. Mara Zampieri was Lina and Renato Bruson was Stankar. And it is a very good production. BUT no CARRERAS!

OD Travel