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.
Die Fledermaus. The audience responded with consistent enthusiasm, even if a full standing ovation did not materialize. Musically and theatrically – especially in the direction of the principals and the choreography (direction: Anna Bernreitner, dramaturgy: Jana Beckmann) – the work was of an extremely high standard. One had the impression of extremely thorough rehearsal, which had brought great enjoyment to all involved, and of an authentic creative flow that never felt forced. The isolated boos for Patti Basler and the production team at the curtain call were, to us, incomprehensible.
Così fan tutte at La Scala For so many reasons, especially today, it is certainly more than a curiosity to ask ourselves what Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would have thought of this Robert Carsen staging of Così fan tutte for La Scala. It would be slightly hazardous to believe that we might sense the composer’s reasoning powers or even imagine the demands he had put upon himself while creating any of his great works.
Il Cappello di paglia di Firenze is a lyrical adaptation of Le Chapeau de paille d\’Italie, a five-act comedy by French playwright Eugène Labiche, which premiered in Paris in August 1851. The play is still regularly staged to great acclaim and is considered a classic example of a comedy full of misunderstandings and dramatic twists and turns, with a script brimming with witty repartee.
Hänsel und Gretel. Hänsel und Gretel is classed as a children’s opera is a truism. Yet the sight of what felt like half the audience being under ten years old was still surprising – and initially raised the fear that things might become lively and restless in the auditorium. The opposite occurred: with admirable concentration, the young audience followed the action.
Artistic directors think only in terms of ‘stars’ to hire, and audiences turn up enthusiastically to hear a successful performer, regardless of the piece being performed. In opera, the situation is even more peculiar, as the attraction is often the stage director themselves. They try (in my opinion, clumsily) to rekindle interest in productions that seek originality in staging through modernizations, abstractions, and reinterpretations.
Aida. Tijd voor -even tussen door, wij wilden u niet meteen al overbelasten- een uitbarsting van artistiek misgewas, dead on arrival. Het doek valt tussen de eerste twee scènes van de eerste akte en de zaal wordt verlicht (dat de verantwoordelijke de pestpleuris mag krijgen, pardon me (uit te spreken: mie) French, waarna er een gesluierde stoet spoken voor het gordijn tergend langzaam voortschrijdt, begeleid door een onverstaanbare Fernstimme met een Jane Birkin Je t’aime moi non plus timbre. Het Open Podium bij dorpshuis De Zwaan in Uitgeest heeft briljantere ideeën. Gelijksoortige waanzin tussen alle onderbrekingen? En zo kom je dan wel aan je drie uur en een kwartier.
Lohengrin. Then, too, we have Lohengrin and Telramund fight their duel in the air, hanging by ropes. This is not because the costumes of all the characters portray them as moths attracted to the electric power plant’s kinetic energy, but because Sharon somehow finds Lohengrin as a Peter Pan archetype, a boy who wishes to never grow up
Tosca. Amsterdam, klein Toscane, bracht een Tosca in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1985, 1998, 1999, 2022, 2025. In 2025 staat Tosca nog een keer op het programma, maar nu met “simulaties van geweld, seksueel misbruik, moord en suicide”. Jippie!