Adelson e Salvini. Adelson e Salvini is een van die operatitels die zelfs veel Bellini-liefhebbers pas laat of helemaal niet ontdekken; begrijpelijk want het is een opera die balanceert tussen “veelbelovend” en “onaf”.
The Secret Opera Lover. He nods approvingly when the terms “deconstruction,” “reinterpretation” and “actualization” are mentioned. And when wine is drunk in the foyer afterwards, he always has a phrase ready that anchors him safely in the troupe: “This is 2025, not 1850.” But deep inside – beneath the layer of socially desirable modernity – lurks a carefully kept secret. Homesickness. A gentle but insistent longing for something that is considered highly suspect in opera circles of contemporary people: opera that is true to the libretto and the episode.
Madama Butterfly in Sydney. Oxenbould’s stylish single-set production is a reliable workhorse with no surprises, pulling all the right strings and ticking all the right boxes. Its balletic, “movement”-heavy approach to blocking frequently smacks of filling the moment for the sake of it, but if its ubiquity in the company’s rotation is anything to go by, such easily repeatable elements can compensate for a dramatic cohesion that often goes by the wayside when time (a.k.a.: money) and box office are of the essence.
The secret opera connoisseur. Das Syndikat sagt NEIN! ( The Syndicate says NO! )
De geheime operakenner. Das Syndikat sagt NEIN!
Violetta. Dat ze er ondertussen bloed bij ophoest, is een psychosomatische vooruitwijzing naar de Eerste Wereldoorlog. Haar echte betekenis ligt in haar indrukwekkende vermogen om het repugnante demasqué der onwaarachtigheid op esthetische, quasi-esthetische wijze zo u wilt, te presenteren.
Norma. Bellini\\\’s Norma is rather ambiguous in musical terms. On paper, the orchestra often seems sober and \\\’standard\\\’ bel canto, but in an excellent performance, the work can be mesmerising. Norma is entirely dependent on top-quality vocals. Bellini writes long phrases that offer little \\\’foothold\\\’ to singers who do not have exceptional legato. \\\’Casta diva\\\’ unfolds deliberately simply and slowly, but with too broad a vibrato, the aria becomes a series of loose, beautiful notes. This applies equally to the following cabaletta \\\’Ah! bello a me ritorna\\\’: if the tempo is too mechanical, virtuosity turns into routine and the music only sounds accelerating \\\’because that\\\’s how it\\\’s supposed to be\\\’.
Norma. Bellini’s Norma is in muzikaal opzicht nogal tweeslachtig. Op papier lijkt het orkest vaak sober en “standaard” belcanto, maar in een voortreffelijke uitvoering kan het werk hypnotiserend werken. Norma is volledig afhankelijk van vocale topkwaliteit. Bellini schrijft lange bogen die nauwelijks “houvast” bieden aan zangers die niet over een uitzonderlijk legato beschikken. “Casta diva” vouwt zich doelbewust eenvoudig en langzaam uit, maar met een te breed vibrato wordt de aria een reeks losse mooie noten. Dat geldt evenzeer voor de erop volgende cabaletta “Ah! bello a me ritorna”: als het tempo te mechanisch is, verandert virtuositeit in routine en klinkt de muziek alleen versnellend “omdat het u eenmaal zo hoort”.
Lady Macbeth del distretto di Mcensk. As for the soloists, Sara Jakubiak is a deeply moving Katerina in her vocal and physical performance. Najmiddin Mavlyanov plays a seductive Sergei, indifferent to what he provokes and inexorably sets in motion. Alexander Roslavets imposes a brutal, primitive, and disturbing Boris. Around them, remarkably, each role is played with rare intensity.
I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Yaritza Véliz was a revelation for us in the role of Julia. Brilliant, beautiful, and magnificent. This Chilean soprano possesses all the vocal assets and technical skills required for bel canto: purity of tone, excellent breath control and a feel for melodic lines, clarity and precision in the vocalises, a comfortable range and, above all, a flexibility that enables her to convey emotions simply by varying her tone, dynamics or use of voice, with floating, ethereal high notes worthy of the greatest singers.